News Releases

Thursday, September 16, 2004Contact: Bob Curran Jr. (212) 521-5326
The Jockey Club Releases 2003 Breeding Statistics

The Jockey Club today reported that 4,203 stallions covered 63,154 mares in North America during 2003, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 9, 2004. These coverings have resulted in 36,274 foals of 2004 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of Sept. 9.

As in past years, The Jockey Club estimates that the reporting of live foals is approximately 90 percent complete.

“Despite fewer mares bred in 2003, we’re close to 700 live foals ahead of this time last year which would support our earlier forecast of 37,200 registered foals for North America in 2004,” said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s vice president of registration services. “We encourage breeders who haven’t already done so to submit their Live Foal Reports as soon as possible so they can complete their foal’s registration within one year from foaling and avoid late registration fees.”

In addition to a tabulation of live foals reported by stallion, the report provides a sum of the 2004 No Foal Reports submitted to date for 2003 breedings. Through Sept. 9, The Jockey Club had received 8,087 No Foal Reports for the 2004 foaling season.

The number of stallions declined 1.8 percent from the 4,282 reported for 2002 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred dipped 1.1 percent from the 63,825 reported for 2002.

Iuliano stressed that the count “is not a measurement of the live foals born in each state, but rather a count of state-sired live foals, regardless of where the foals were born.” Additionally, the statistics should not be taken to represent the fertility record of any one stallion.

Thoroughbred breeding in Kentucky continued to rebound from the impact of Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome in 2001 and 2002 and once again paced the nation. In the Bluegrass State, 20,207 mares bred in 2003 have produced 13,797 reported live foals, a 9.7 percent increase on the 12,582 live foals of 2003 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2003 increased marginally against the 20,017 reported for 2002 at this time last year.

Among the top 10 states by breeding activity in 2003, states whose stallions produced more live foals in 2004 than in 2003 at this time last year were:

State 2003 LF 2004 LF % Increase

Kentucky 12,582 13,797 9.7%

California 3,752 3,757 0.1%

New York 1,459 1,550 6.2%

Louisiana 1,185 1,456 22.9%

States among the top 10 by breeding activity in 2003 whose stallions produced fewer live foals in 2004 than in 2003 as reported at this time last year were:

State 2003 LF 2004 LF % Decrease

Florida 4,358 3,979 8.7%

Texas 1,618 1,573 2.8%

Maryland 1,136 978 13.9%

Oklahoma 747 687 8.0%

New Mexico 621 616 0.8%

Illinois 550 524 4.7%

The statistics include 245 progeny sired by stallions standing in North America but foaled abroad, as reported by foreign Stud Book authorities at the time of publication. In this category, 67 live foals by North American stallions were reported from Great Britain (58 reported in 2003). Second was Ireland which reported 64 (49) foals.

Remaining countries on the list with 2003 returns in parentheses are: France, 26 (21); Korea, 19 (46); Jamaica, 11 (3); Mexico, 10 (4); Trinidad, 10 (8); Philippines, 9 (14); Chile, 6 (no report in 2003); Argentina, 4 (4); Greece, 4 (no report in 2003); India, 4 (3); Saudi Arabia, 3 (15); Australia, 2 (no report in 2003); Barbados, 2 (no report in 2003); Brazil, 1 (1); Colombia, 1 (no report in 2003); Germany, 1 (no report in 2003); and Turkey, 1 (no report in 2003).

The report also includes 19 mares bred to 11 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time. The majority of these mares have not foaled.

The 2003 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the “Information and Statistics” link on The Jockey Club home page at http://www.jockeyclub.com.