News Releases

Wednesday, August 21, 2002Contact: Bob Curran Jr. (212) 521-5326
The Jockey Club Projects 2003 Foal Crop At 37,000

The Jockey Club is projecting a 2003 North American registered Thoroughbred foal crop of 37,000, resuming the upward trend in foal crop size following a decline in 2002 due to Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS).

The projection, traditionally announced at the time of The Jockey Club Round Table Conference, is computed from Reports of Mares Bred (RMB’s) so far received for the 2002 breeding season. RMB’s are to be filed by August 1 of each breeding season.

The 2003 estimate represents a 3.9 percent increase against the 35,600 foals forecast for 2002, a year in which approximately 20 percent of the Kentucky foal crop was expected to be lost to MRLS. The estimated 2001 registered Thoroughbred foal crop is 36,800, while the 2000 registered Thoroughbred foal crop is projected at 36,700.

Foal registration is to be completed within 12 months of the birth of the foal. However, late registration is possible for additional fees, making final foal crop counts unfeasible before December 31 of the crop’s two-year-old year, the time by which the vast majority of the foal crop has been registered. Additional foal crop information is available in The Jockey Club’s online Fact Book, accessible at http://home.jockeyclub.com/factbook.