Distances are very specific and always measured in yards.

220 yards = 1/8th of a mile = 1 furlong

Short Sprint = 220 yards, 250 yards, 300 yards, 330 yards, 350 yards

Long Sprints = 400 yards, 440 yards, 550 yards, 660 yards

"Around the Hook" = 770 yards, 870 yards**

Why 870 rather than 880? Because 880 is 1/2 of a mile and all "official" races must be under 1/2 mile so they just "lopped off" 10 yards to keep it "legal" 1000** yard races are carded and wins show up on the papers but do not count toward an ROM

**American quarter horses and thoroughbreds may complete together in these distances.

A classic example of the of parentage verification and the power of DNA genotyping occurred earlier this year and involved two racing-bred fillies that apparently had switched dams shortly after birth.

When used for parentage verification, blood-typing and DNA testing both work by indicating that a sire and/or dam is not the correct parent of a horse. This signifies an exclusion. In a small percentage of cases, blood-typing does not totally, rule out that a sire and/or dam is not the correct parent, and parentage verification still can be completed. However, DNA testing is more proficient than blood-typing because it has a higher rate of efficacy, or ability to-determine an exclusion. Therefore, AQHA has used DNA testing this year when blood-typing proved incomplete.

The two fillies - Miss Nickolee and Iiswhatiis both were bred by longtime Florida horsemen J.F. Plummer and W.E. "Serge" Darden. ln February 1992, the fillies were foaled about two days apart in Texas. In December, of that year, AQHA registered Miss Nickolee as a daughter of Sig Hanson out of Ronas Sundae, by Go Dick Go. The Association registered Iiswhatiis as a filly by Ronas Ryon out of the Thoroughbred mare Dancers Dolly, by Wardlaw.

Because: of the AQHA rule that foals born on or after January 1, 1992, have to be blood-typed and parentage verified to receive: an identification tattoo for racing; the procedure was begun for Miss Nickolas and Ilswhatiis in December 1993. A month later, the University of California, Davis laboratory completed parentage verification for Miss Nickolas. AQHA issued the filly's parentage verified registration certificate in February, and she was tattooed for racing In April.

However, the parentage verification process for liswhatiis resulted in an exclusion. Blood-typing indicated liswhatilis resulted in an exclusion. Blood-typing indicated liswhatiis liswhatiis could be by Ronas Ryon, and she could be out of Dancers Dolly, but she could not be the product of the mating of those two horses. The AQHA Field Services Department began working closely with owners Plummer and Darden to solve the exclusion, because liswhatiis was nominated to the Alabama Futurity at Birmingham Race Course. Trials for the race were April 23.

Blood was drawn for the second time from liswhatiis to ensure the lab had the correct sample. The UC Davis lab conducted 21 parentage verification analyses of the other sires and dams mated by Plummer and darden that resulted in 1992 foals born at the same farm liswhatiis was foaled. These analyses indicated that liswhatiis was out of Ronas Sundae: howver, her sire could eithr be Ronas Ryon or Sig Hanson. The decision then was made to use DNA testing.

While liswhatiis could not be parentage verified, Miss Nickolee began her racing career. She made her debut on April 23 at Birmingham, winning a trial to the Alabama Futurity. On May 7, she returned to win the $115,000 final by a nose. She was sent to Remington Park, where, on May 27, she won a trial to the $373,320 Remington Park Futurity.

DNA testing indicated that liswhatiis was a daughter of Sig Hanson and Ronas Sundae, but they had been recorded as the parents of Miss Nickolee, undefeated in the first three races of her career. Who then were the sire and dam of Miss Nickolee?

Believing liswhatiis and Miss Nickolee might have switched mothers early in life, the UC Davis lab conducted a DNA test for Miss Nickolee with Ronas Ryon and Dancers Dolly – originally registered as the parents of liswhatiis. DNA indicated Miss Nickolee indeed was by Ronas Ryon and out of Dancers Dolly.

In June 3, AQHA reissued the registration certificates for Miss Nickolee and liswhatiis with the corrected parentage. However, because Miss Nickolee already had made three starts, the story did not end. An owner of a horse that finished behind Miss Nickolee in the Alabama Futurity filed an objection with the Birmingham Racing Commission, stating Miss Nickolee should not be awarded the victory in the stakes because she had competed under the wrong parentage and thus was ineligible. However, because Miss Nickolee is a registered Quarter Horse that had completed parentage verification, she was eligible to participate in racing according to AQHA rules. Before the final of the Ramington Park Futurity, AQHA Senior Director or Racing Dan Fick contacted Remington Park steward Norma Calhoun and explained the situation. With the parentage corrected, Miss Nickolee finished ninth in the Remington Park Futurity, then was sent to Riudoso Downs to try for the All American Futurity. She qualified to the consolation, and ran sixth in the final. She ended her two-year-old campaign with three wins in six starts and earnings of $70,122. liswhatiis made her only start of the year on July 4 at the Gillespie County Fairgroungds in Texas, finishing third by a head.

Of the more that 14,000 parentage verifications that have been completed this year, only 162 have resulted in an exclusion. Most cases that produced exclusions were solved after discovering that the foals had switched mothers – as Miss Nickolee and liswhatiis did – or human error had resulted in a mare being bred to the wrong stallion or blood being labeled incorrectly. There are a few reasons to believe someone intentionally falsified the parentage of an animal.

1. It allows thoroughbred blood into the quarter horse breed to increase the speed of the racehorse and the quality of the horses that are too short and "bulldoggish." There are, however, some people who like the quarter horse with out any throughbred blood at all, especially those who breed horses for cutting or events that require "cow-sense."

2. Only the horses which are part thoroughbred that meet a required competence level (by earning an ROM to remove the "X" from their appendix papers and move them up to regular papers ) may be bred to another horse that is appendix registered. Thus keeping the "type" wanted while improving the individual.

3. Race horses earn an ROM by earning one 80 speed index at an AQHA recognized race.

4. There is no ROM requirement placed on horses that are issued regular papers initially.

5. Rules of thumb for determining registration eligibility:

A. Any horse with regular papers (even if it started out with appendix papers but was upgraded) bred to another with regular papers will produce to foal eligible for regular papers at birth.

B. Any horse with regular papers bred to an appendix horse will produce a foal initially eligible for appendix papers, it must earn an ROM to get regular papers

C. Any horse with regular papers bred to a registered thoroughbred will produce an appendix foal, that as in example B, must earn regular papers.

D. An appendix horse bred to a thoroughbred or an appendix horse bred to an appendix horse will produce a foal that is not eligible for registration with the AQHA

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The speed index (SD is a representation of a horse's performance over a specific distance at a specific racetrack in relation to time. It is an evaluation of that horse's speed.

Speed index ratings are based on an average of the three (3) fastest winning times run each year for the immediate past three. (3) years for each distance at each track. The average of the nine (9) times to the nearest .Ol (1/100) of a second will represent a speed index rating of 100. In the event that the average time or any of the fastest times included therein are slower than the Minimum Standard Time, the Minimum Standard will be used to compile the average from which the speed index ratings will be computed the following year. No horse will be used more than one time in any one year at a particular distance at any track in calculating the nine fastest times.

Racing at 220, 250, 300, 330, 350, 400, 440, 550, and 660 yards shall be raced on a straightaway course. Races at 770, and 870 yards shall be raced around one turn.

A speed index point varies according to the distance of the race as follows:

.04 (four one-hundredths of a second) equals one speed index point at 400, 440, 550, 660, 770 and 870 yards.

.035 (three and one-half hundredths of a second) equals one speed index point at 350 yards.

.03 (three one-hundredths of a second) equals one speed index point at 300 and 330 yards.

.02 (two one-hundredths of a second) equals one speed index point at 220 and 250 yards.

The times listed below shall be used to compile speed index ratings at tracks where the average times are slower than the Minimum Standard Time.

The Minimum Standard Times differ from track to track, so if a horse has the same speed index at two different tracks but has a slower time at one of them, it is not cause for alarm. Remember, a Speed Index is only an evaluation of the horse's performance at a specific track and distance.