Sunday, June 04, 2006

Win, Place or Show?


Idaho Gem and Idaho Star are identical cloned mules. They were created from a fetal sibling of a former champion racing mule named Taz. Although they share the same DNA, the two clones have trained separately for two years. They are going to be racing head-to-head today in a test of nature vs. nurture. Which one will win? Will they tie? It should be interesting!

Update:
Idaho Gem took third place and Idaho Star finished seventh in a 350-yard (meter) race against six naturally bred three-year-old mules at the Winnemucca Mule Race, Show & Draft Horse Challenge in Winnemucca, Nevada.

New link:
http://tinyurl.com/mrdhv

9 comments:

KEvron said...

linkee no workee, wilbur....

KEvron

eyedoc333 said...

Updated link!

Fantod said...

Am I understading this correctly? They both were cloned from a third mule -- not: one was cloned from the other.

eyedoc333 said...

Right on, Fantod.

Red Tory said...

Where can we go to wager on this thing?

Anonymous said...

I had my clone root for the other one. Hedged my bets.

Anonymous said...

Mule races are a lot like American political races. Since all the entrants are bastardized, the spectators and pundits still get to enjoy a good "horse race!"

Racing cloned mules is a lot like a Republican primary. Inbreds instead of thoroughbreds.

Snerd Gronk said...

I've heard a rumour that Idaho Star is challenging the results, claiming that Gem was riden by a genetically superior rider ... but most think Star is just nurturing sibling rivalry ...

Snerd

Fantod said...

Maybe one had a more luxurious petri dish than the other.