The Jockey Club on Thursday reported that 2,904 stallions covered 44,184
mares in North America during 2010, according to statistics compiled through
September 7. These matings have resulted in 23,558 live foals of 2011 being
reported to the Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of September 7.
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 thus far, 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.
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.
Among the top 10 conception areas for live foals of 2011, only Ontario and
Oklahoma stallions produced more live foals in 2011 than in 2010 as reported at
this time last year. The top 10 conception areas for live foals of 2011 reported
through September 7 and regardless of where the foals were born are:
| Conception Area |
2010 Mares Bred |
2010 Live Foals |
2011 Live Foals |
% Change |
| Kentucky | 17,401 | 12,931 | 11,065 | -14.4 |
| California | 2,760 | 1,891 | 1,762 | -6.8 |
| Florida | 3,233 | 2,097 | 1,565 | -25.4 |
| Louisiana | 3,453 | 1,678 | 1,516 | -9.7 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,638 | 844 | 790 | -6.4 |
| New York | 1,355 | 908 | 752 | -17.2 |
| Ontario | 1,500 | 698 | 732 | +4.9 |
| New Mexico | 1,426 | 697 | 660 | -5.3 |
| Texas | 1,391 | 776 | 580 | -25.3 |
| Oklahoma | 1,464 | 538 | 545 | +1.3 |
The statistics include 451 progeny of stallions standing in North America but
foaled abroad, as reported by foreign stud book authorities at the time of
publication. In this category, 100 live foals by North American stallions were
reported from Thailand and 84 were reported from Korea.
Remaining countries on the list are Ireland (47), Saudi Arabia (43), Japan
(34), India (33), Great Britain (24), Brazil (15), Uruguay (14), Chile (10),
Turkey (10), France (9), Peru (8), Mexico (6), Panama (4), Australia (3), Russia
(3), Dominican Republic (2), Denmark (1) and Trinidad (1).
The report also includes 81 mares bred to 26 stallions in North America on
Southern Hemisphere time. The majority of these mares have not foaled.