Foal crop shrinks slightly, according to Jockey Club report

The Jockey Club released its annual statistics report on the foal crop of 2019 on Thursday, with figures following the trend of recent years of a slightly shrinking foal crop.

The Jockey Club reported that 1,630 stallions covered 32,508 mares in North America during 2018, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 26. These breedings have resulted in 20,363 live foals of 2019 being reported to The Jockey Club, which estimates that the number of live foals reported is approximately 90 percent complete. The reporting of live foals of 2019 is down 3.6 percent from last year at this time when The Jockey Club had received reports for 21,130 live foals of 2018. Ultimately, the 2019 registered foal crop is projected to reach 20,800.

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The number of stallions declined 8.3 percent from the 1,778 reported for 2017 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred declined 5.2 percent from the 34,288 reported for 2017.

Kentucky annually leads all states and provinces in terms of Thoroughbred breeding activity. Kentucky-based stallions accounted for 53.7 percent of the mares reported bred in North America in 2018 and 59.9 percent of the live foals reported for 2019. The 17,446 mares reported bred to 241 Kentucky stallions in 2018 have produced 12,200 live foals, a 1.4 percent decrease on the 12,370 Kentucky-sired live foals of 2018 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2018 increased 0.3 percent compared to the 17,401 reported for 2017 at this time last year.

Among the 10 states and provinces with the most mares covered in 2018, three produced more live foals in 2019 than in 2018 as reported at this time last year: California, Louisiana, and Maryland.

The Jockey Club statistics include 303 progeny of stallions standing in North America but foaled abroad, as reported by foreign stud book authorities. The most foals were reported by Saudi Arabia, with 107, and Korea, with 57.

The report also includes 86 mares bred to 14 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time; the majority of these mares have not foaled.