Study: Jet lag improves Thoroughbred performance

Perhaps racing “off the plane” isn't such a bad idea.  New research by British scientists suggests Thoroughbred racehorses actually benefit from the effects of jet lag.  The researchers claim horses can gallop an extra 25 seconds before tiring following a long plane ride.  Not only that, but they say the positive effects of plane travel can be mimicked without the flying part – by controlling their exposure to light.  From the UK's Daily Mail:

“Dr Domingo Tortonese, Senior Lecturer in Anatomy in the School of Veterinary Sciences, who led the study, said they originally believed jet lag would have 'detrimental consequences'.

“He said: 'In humans, air travel-associated sudden changes in the 24-hour light-dark cycle disrupt biological rhythms with negative effects on cognitive and physical performance…

“Our study shows that racehorses are different from humans in that they rely on light cues for their daily rhythms of activity, rather than for the synchronisation of an endogenously generated rhythm to the 24-hour light-dark cycle.”