A racehorse with elevated levels of testosterone has been found to be a hermaphrodite, according to reports.
Tests revealed the female horse possessed a male Y chromosome and internal male testes that produced large amounts of testosterone.
The condition of the horse, Tuscan Abbe, is known in racing circles as an intersex mare.
Suspicion about the horse was raised after the mare won an event at Bankstown in Sydney and a swab test showed a high amount of testosterone, according to the
Sydney Morning Herald.
Officials raided the stables, suspecting doping, but an internal test by a reproductive specialist found that the high levels were due to what vets described as "two potential testicles inside her abdomen."
According to the newspaper, reproductive vet Dr Cecelia Cortina Di Favria did an ultrasound and concluded that something was amiss.
''Cecelia had an extensive look through her and we were convinced something was not normal,'' Newcastle Equine Centre's Dr Patrick Kelly said.
''The mare doesn't look like she has a uterus, and potentially has two testicles inside her abdomen.
''We can't be sure they are testicles, we assume they are because they are the right size, the right consistency, and they are sitting in the right spot where ovaries normally are … and they are certainly not ovaries.''
A DNA test confirmed the presence of a Y chromosome.
It is unlikely that Tuscan Abbe will be able to compete in mare events following the results, but owners will not have to refund the $10,000 prize money from the Bankstown race, as they were not aware of the mare's condition at the time.
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