Jockey Club: Live foal count down 13.5% in 2011
The Jockey Club today reported that 2,904 stallions covered 44,184 mares in North America during 2010, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 7, 2011. These matings have resulted in 23,558 live foals of 2011 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of Sept. 7, 2011.
The Jockey Club estimates that the number of live foals reported, at this point in time, is approximately 85 percent complete. The reporting of live foals of 2011 is down 13.5 percent from last year at this time when The Jockey Club had received reports for 27,233 live foals of 2010.
“The decline in breeding activity in recent years has resulted in a downward trend for live foal returns that is expected to continue next year, based on our recently announced foal crop estimate of 24,700 for 2012,” said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s executive vice president and executive director.
The 2011 registered foal crop projection of 27,000 takes into account that not all live foals become registered. In addition to the 23,558 live foals of 2011 reported through Sept. 7, The Jockey Club had also received 3,731 No Foal Reports for the 2011 foaling season.
The number of stallions declined 7.2 percent from the 3,130 reported for 2009 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred decreased 10.6 percent from the 49,404 reported for 2009.
The 2010 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the Publications and Resources link on The Jockey Club homepage at jockeyclub.com.
Iuliano emphasized that the breeding statistics are not a measurement of the live foals born in each state or province, but rather a count of live foals by conception area, regardless of where the foals were born. He also stressed that the statistics should not be taken to represent the final fertility record of any single stallion or conception area.
Kentucky annually leads all states and provinces in terms of Thoroughbred breeding activity. Kentucky-based stallions accounted for 39.4 percent of the mares reported bred in North America in 2010 and 47.0 percent of the live foals reported for 2011.
The 17,401 mares reported bred to 284 Kentucky stallions in 2010 have produced 11,065 live foals, a 14.4 percent decrease on the 12,931 Kentucky-sired live foals of 2010 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2010 declined 9.6 percent against the 19,252 reported for 2009 at this time last year.
