Equinome, The Irish Equine Genomics Company, To Open Australian Office

Equinome, a leading Irish equine genomics company, today announced that it is establishing a sales and marketing office in Australia.

The announcement, made at an event held in Enterprise Ireland’s offices in Sydney was attended by Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Leo Varadkar TD who has completed a tourism and trade visit to Australia to promote Irish business, tourism and the Gathering Ireland 2013. Equinome’s new office will be the focal point for the company’s sales and marketing activities throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Speaking following the announcement, Minister Varadkar TD said, “Equinome’s Australasian office marks a new chapter for this pioneering Irish company. The company’s genetic tests for Thoroughbred horses are truly innovative and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the further development of the Thoroughbred industry. This new office will enable Equinome to gain a foothold in the very important Asia-Pacific region. It’s great to see a company with roots in University College Dublin, and based on Irish research, making progress into this high potential market.” Equinome, a University College Dublin (UCD) spin-out company, was established in 2009 by Dr Emmeline Hill, a UCD genomics scientist, in partnership with Mr Jim Bolger, the renowned Irish racehorse trainer and breeder. Headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at the University, the company also has laboratory facilities within the University and at Jim Bolger’s training yard in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Equinome’s Managing Director, Donal Ryan, is currently based in Australia to establish the new office and to recruit a sales and marketing team. “The opening of our new Australasian sales office is another exciting step in Equinome’s development. With our business growing rapidly in the region it was necessary to establish a permanent base here to meet the increasing demand for our services and to provide enhanced support to our existing customers. Australia and New Zealand are world leaders in the bloodstock industry and home to many of the world’s finest Thoroughbred racehorses, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with many of the top breeding and training operations here while expanding out our regional presence,” said Mr Ryan. This latest development follows the launch in 2010 of Equinome’s first test, the Equinome Speed Gene Test and subsequent launch of the Equinome Elite Performance Test in 2011. Equinome, an Enterprise Ireland client company, has already secured clients in USA, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Ireland, UK, France, Russia and Singapore. In recent months, major Australian stallion farms Widden Stud and Swettenham Stud have publicly begun to market their stallions with their results from Equinome’s genetic tests. Australian Hall of Fame trainer, David Hayes, said that, “the substantial scientific research upon which Equinome’s tests have been developed translates into what we are seeing ourselves on the track, and we at Lindsay Park Racing now recommend to all of our owners that they use Equinome’s tests to assist us in maximising the potential of their racehorse.” Commenting on Equinome’s announcement, Professor Peter Clinch, UCD Vice-President for Innovation said, “Equinome’s announcement to establish an office in Australia, a key target market for the company, is a significant development for this innovative University College Dublin spin-out company which was founded only a few years ago to commercialise the outputs of UCD research activities.” He added, “The continuing success of Equinome demonstrates the quality and international reach of start-up companies emerging from University College Dublin.” Equinome researchers, in collaboration with UCD researchers, have published more scientific papers on Thoroughbred exercise genomics than any other research group worldwide. Through its associations with top-class breeders and trainers, Equinome has access to large numbers of elite horses at various stages of training and competition that provide subjects for its on-going research programme to identify and characterise the molecular genetic variants underlying key performance and health traits in the Thoroughbred. Discuss this article with other users on the Horse Forums. Got News? Send your news stories and press releases to the HorseYard News Desk.