The Jockey Club is projecting a 2012 North American registered Thoroughbred foal crop of 24,700, a decline of 8.5% from the estimate of 27,000 registered foals for 2011, it was announced today by Matt Iuliano, the organization’s executive vice president and executive director.

The foal crop projection, traditionally announced in mid-August, is computed by using Reports of Mares Bred (RMBs) received to date for the 2011 breeding season. RMBs are to be filed by August 1 of each breeding season.

The 2012 foal crop is projected to be the smallest foal crop since 1971, when 24,301 foals were registered.

Stallion owners who have not returned their RMBs for the 2011 breeding season are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Submission of RMBs can be accomplished quickly and easily through Interactive RegistrationTM, the online service that enables registered users to perform virtually all registration-related activities over the Internet. Interactive Registration is available at registry.jockeyclub.com.

Additional foal crop information is available in The Jockey Club’s Online Fact Book at jockeyclub.com/factbook.asp and in the state fact books at jockeyclub.com/statefactbook.asp.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms, among others. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.