"Up until four months into the gestation, the size and development of the foetus is unobtrusive, so it wouldn't hinder a horse's performance," said Peter Webbon, the Jockey Club's chief veterinary adviser. "I have always believed the hormonal change, stopping a mare's cycle, reaped the beneficial effect by allowing a mare to be trained through her being in season." But it isn't just racing who has the oddball theory. In Eighties Russia, where sporting prowess was a ruthless business, it's alleged the female track-and-field athletes were kept in a constant state of pregnancy.
