Are Cloned Horses Coming Soon to the Kentucky Derby?

If Barbara Streisand can clone her dogs, the Kentucky Derby can certainly have cloned horses. Horseracing just came one step closer as Kheiron Biotech has just announced that they have created the first five genetically modified “super horses.” Breeding programs have always been a part of horse racing, but Kheiron’s announcement takes it to a whole new level. Breeding records definitely show the long history of pedigrees in races like the Derby. Breeding matters, but most readers likely agree that there is a big difference between breeding and cloning.

The word “kheiron” is of Ancient Greek origin and means “hand”, referring to the centaur Chiron known for wisdom and skill. The horses were born after being genetically engineered in the bioengineering company’s Argentina-based labs.

Kheiron’s goal is to transform the world of high-performance animals for sports like thoroughbred racing and polo, and they accomplish it by altering the animals’ DNA to choose the best traits of a horse’s genome to pass along to new foals. Some call it an exciting scientific breakthrough, while others call it  “unconscionable.” Is Kheiron trying to be the hand of God?

The company first announced that the first five foals had arrived at the Kheiron stables in early December.

Alterations via CRISPR

The gene editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 was used to engineer the foals. This technique allows direct intervention on DNA to correct genetic mutations or enhance specific traits.” Translation: scientists have the opportunity (and the power) to select which parts of a horse’s genetic make-up they want to scrap, or alter to improve.

We’ve been writing about CRISPR in The Tenpenny Report since at least 2019. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. These are specialized stretches of DNA that can be inserted into defective genomes to alter or repair defective DNA sequences and modify gene function. Gene editing has many potential applications, from correcting genetic defects to treating chronic illnesses to preventing the spread of infection to improving the yield of crops. Great strides have been made in the research and use of CRISPR. The “Cas9” part is the protein Cas9 ; it acts as an enzyme that functions like a pair of molecular scissors, capable of cutting strands of DNA (as explained by LiveScience.com .)

“CRISPR technology was adapted from the natural defense mechanisms of bacteria and archaea (the domain of single-celled microorganisms). These organisms use CRISPR-derived RNA and various Cas proteins, including Cas9, to fend off attacks by viruses and other foreign bodies. The proteins primarily do this by chopping up and destroying the DNA of a foreign invader. When these components are transferred into other, more complex, organisms, it allows for the manipulation of genes, or “editing.”

Kheiron uses the modified MSTN gene responsible for regulating muscle growth. Taking the reins off (no pun intended) of this part of the horse’s genome, changes both the amount and quality of muscle as the horse develops, thereby creating a faster, more powerful specimen.

Herein Lies the Issue

The problem with all of this is that none of these scientists ever want to stop editing genomes. In 2015, we wrote about DNA modification in mosquitoes. but 10 years later, we know it didn’t stop with mosquitoes. It may start with modifying mosquitoes to purportedly stop the spread of disease, but this experiment can be quickly altered to have mosquitoes be the delivery system of deadly disease. That is just how it works. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. And some of these mad scientists define beauty as a greatly reduced human population. The Georgia Guide stones told us that.

Proponents of the Kheiron technology say that anything that can help reduce horse injury is a welcome addition. Horse racing already struggles with a dreadful reputation for animal safety. Injuries abound, often resulting in the horse’s euthanization. Indeed, two of the 20 Derby horses scratched before the race due to injury. But when the fix causes more problems than the original problem…

Regarding other types of cloning, the conversation always starts out with a great benefit to mankind. They talk about modifying crops to withstand heat, and they talk about making cow’s milk richer in proteins, but let’s face it, human DNA modification is the ultimate goal. Spokespeople for the company have starry-eyed visions of altering human DNA, you know, so that people can live in harsher climates (you know, because of climate change.) One of the main suggestions has been the alteration of pig DNA to make their organs more similar to human organs, expanding the possibilities for transplants.  It always starts with something meaningful to humans, but can quickly turn into something else entirely. We just have to pay attention to how they say things: a report in Forbes Brazil referred to the development as “an unprecedented milestone in biotechnology for its potential impact on agriculture, veterinary medicine, and other sectors of genetic improvement.” 

Exactly what are these “other sectors”?

This is precisely why not everyone agrees with the Kheiron scientists. PETA calls their horse DNA modification a grotesque idea and ponders whether the company is “purely driven by greed in their quest to create super-exploited, super-unnatural, ‘super horses’”. PETA explains that in the world of polo, these horses are already treated like high-performance machines instead of animals, so the bioengineered upgrades make the horses objects to be ultimately discarded when their use as a machine is over. PETA also notes the unintended consequences of gene editing — health conditions, missing eyes and ears, deformed body parts, heart conditions, seizure and more.

Most people consider genetically engineered humans to be morally unthinkable. The problem is that it won’t end until they’ve edited everything human and related to humans. Gene edit the food production. The issue is that if they gene edit mosquitoes to be unable to transmit deadly diseases, the flip side is also true — mosquitoes can be edited to deliver deadly diseases.

Where Are The Guardrails?

The ‘super horses’ were produced in December 2024, and now there is new evidence that additional progress has been made in 2025.

The Kheiron Biotech website now identifies 17 separate equine clones. The company says, “we provide our customers with the most precise reproductive technologies to drive performance limits further than ever imagined.”

Are we still talking about horses?

Last year, we wrote Are We Walking Amongst Human Clones?, and the question still stands. That article is definitely worth a read to see how far we’ve come in the 30 years since Dolly the sheep was cloned. Kheiron joins companies like ViaGen Pets and ClonAid. Where exactly are the guardrails?

The Jurassic Park movies serve as a cautionary tale about what happens when financial backers decide to clone extinct dinosaurs for profit. The first movie was in 1993, and Dolly was cloned in 1996.

It’s been 30 years. Are we there yet? Are we walking amongst human clones? Can parents order designer babies?  It is important to remember the words of the character Dr. Ian Malcolm (played by actor Jeff Goldblum): “God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs.”

It appears that man is indeed playing God.