Winnemucca Blog

Reuters:

Two cloned mules finished third and seventh in a Nevada mule race on Sunday, disappointing the scientists who created them a day after each animal won its respective elimination heat.

But winning aside, scientists said the strong performances of the mules, named Idaho Gem and Idaho Star, will be key to showing the public that the controversial technology produces normal, healthy animals.

Idaho Gem, the world’s first equine clone, 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, the scientists said.

The winning mule, Bar J.F. Hot Ticket, finished in 20.8 seconds, while Idaho Gem finished in 21.2 seconds and Idaho Star finished in 22.2 seconds.

On Saturday, both cloned mules won their respective heats. It was the first time cloned mules had entered a professional race.