Minnesota Thoroughbred Association disbands due to lack of funding

The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association, which administered an annual yearling sale and stallion season auction for Minnesota-bred horses, has disbanded, according to board members of the organization.

The association, which was founded in 1971 to promote the state’s breeding program, voted to disband in late June due to a lack of funding, according to Dorothy Erban, a board member.

The association raised the brunt of its funding through the auctions, Erban said, but revenues from those sales have been in decline for years. The MTA also received $25,000 annually from a joint marketing agreement between Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community that expired at the end of 2022.

“It was just a decision we had to make financially,” Erban said. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make.”

The yearling sale scheduled for Sept. 8 will still take place, Erban said, with Canterbury Park administering it.

The number of mares bred in Minnesota has declined from 205 in 2014 to 34 last year, according to The Jockey Club. The number of stallions in the state has dropped from 26 to three over the same time period.

Gross proceeds for the yearling sale held by the MTA in 2023 was $301,000 for 24 horses sold. In 2022, 25 horses were sold for gross proceeds of $385,000.

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