News Releases

Thursday, September 22, 2016Contact: Shannon Luce (859) 224-2716
The Jockey Club Releases 2015 Breeding Statistics

The Jockey Club today reported that 1,923 stallions covered 36,964 mares in North America during 2015, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 15, 2016. These breedings have resulted in 21,991 live foals of 2016 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports.

The Jockey Club estimates that the number of live foals reported so far is approximately 90 percent complete. The reporting of live foals of 2016 is down 0.5 percent from last year at this time when The Jockey Club had received reports for 22,104 live foals of 2015.

In addition to the 21,991 live foals of 2016 reported through Sept. 15, The Jockey Club had also received 2,457 No Foal Reports for the 2016 foaling season. Ultimately, the 2016 registered foal crop is projected to reach 22,500.

The number of stallions declined 8.6 percent from the 2,103 reported for 2014 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred declined 0.7 percent from the 37,244 reported for 2014.

The 2015 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the Resources – Fact Book link on The Jockey Club homepage at jockeyclub.com.

“It is important to note that the live foals reported in The Jockey Club breeding statistics are by conception area and do not represent the state in which a foal was born,” said Matt Iuliano, executive vice president and executive director, The Jockey Club. “Breeding statistics also are not a representation of a stallion’s fertility record.”

Kentucky annually leads all states and provinces in terms of Thoroughbred breeding activity. Kentucky-based stallions accounted for 47.6 percent of the mares reported bred in North America in 2015 and 55.4 percent of the live foals reported for 2016.

The 17,598 mares reported bred to 221 Kentucky stallions in 2015 have produced 12,184 live foals, a 2.79 percent increase on the 11,853 Kentucky-sired live foals of 2015 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2015 increased 3.0 percent compared to the 17,088 reported for 2014 at this time last year.

Among the 10 states and provinces with the most mares covered in 2015, only three produced more live foals in 2016 than in 2015 as reported at this time last year: Kentucky, Ontario, and Texas. The following table shows the 10 states and provinces, ranked by number of state/province-sired live foals of 2016 reported through Sept. 15, 2016.

2015 Mares Bred

2015 Live Foals

2016 Live Foals

Percent Change

Kentucky

17,598

11,853

12,184

2.79%

California

2,716

1,767

1,720

-2.66%

Florida

3,013

1,629

1,577

-3.19%

New York

1,594

975

940

-3.59%

Louisiana

1,721

955

893

-6.49%

New Mexico

690

506

452

-10.67%

Ontario

897

367

447

21.80%

Maryland

797

433

411

-5.08%

Texas

761

369

383

3.79%

Oklahoma

859

401

361

-9.98%


The statistics include 439 progeny of stallions standing in North America but foaled abroad, as reported by foreign stud book authorities at the time of publication.

Country

Live Foals

Country

Live Foals

Saudi Arabia

156

Dominican Republic

6

Korea

107

India

6

Chile

37

France

5

Ireland

35

Mexico

5

Great Britain

27

Peru

4

Venezuela

15

Qatar

2

Japan

14

Germany

2

Argentina

10

Barbados

1

Australia

6

Ecuador

1


The report also includes 109 mares bred to 28 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time; the majority of these mares have not foaled.

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, directly or through subsidiaries, 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. It is a founding member of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, and the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity and the architect and sole funding source for America’s Best Racing, the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.