The Jockey Club on Friday reported that 2,620 stallions covered 39,838 mares in North America during 2011, according to statistics compiled through September 10, 2012. These breedings have resulted in 22,500 live foals of 2012 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of September 10, 2012.
The Jockey Club estimates that the number of live foals reported so far is approximately 85 percent complete. The reporting of live foals of 2012 is down 4.5 percent from last year at this time when The Jockey Club had received reports for 23,558 live foals of 2011.
"The data shows the decline in breeding activity in recent years continued in the 2011 breeding season," said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club's executive vice president and executive director. "The rate of decline for live foals reported for 2012 foals of 4.5 percent compares to a decline of 13.5 percent reported a year ago and 14.2 percent of two years ago, so the downward trend appears to be subsiding."
The 2012 registered foal crop projection of 24,700 takes into account that not all live foals become registered. In addition to the 22,500 live foals of 2012 reported through September 10, The Jockey Club had also received 3,056 No Foal Reports for the 2012 foaling season.
The number of stallions declined 9.8 percent from the 2,904 reported for 2010 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred decreased 9.8 percent from the 44,184 reported for 2010.
The 2011 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the Publications and Resources link on The Jockey Club homepage at jockeyclub.com.
Iuliano stated that the breeding statistics are not a measurement of the live foals born in each state or province, but are a count of live foals by conception area, regardless of where the foals were born. He also reiterated that the statistics should not be taken to represent the final fertility record of any single stallion or conception area.
Kentucky annually leads all states and provinces in terms of Thoroughbred breeding activity. Kentucky-based stallions accounted for 40 percent of the mares reported bred in North America in 2011 and 48.7 percent of the live foals reported for 2012.
The 15,918 mares reported bred to 257 Kentucky stallions in 2011 have produced 10,960 live foals, a 0.9 percent decrease on the 11,065 Kentucky-sired live foals of 2011 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2011 declined 8.5 percent against the 17,401 reported for 2010 at this time last year.
Among the top 10 conception areas for live foals of 2012, only Florida stallions produced more live foals in 2012 than in 2011 as reported at this time last year. The top 10 conception areas for live foals of 2012 reported through September 10 and regardless of where the foals were born are:
| 2011 Mares Bred | 2011 Live Foals | 2012 Live Foals | % Change | ||||
| Kentucky | 15,918 | 11,065 | 10,960 | -0.9 | |||
| Florida | 3,065 | 1,565 | 1,642 | +4.9 | |||
| California | 2,562 | 1,762 | 1,600 | -9.2 | |||
| Louisiana | 2,972 | 1,516 | 1,344 | -11.3 | |||
| New York | 1,192 | 752 | 713 | -5.2 | |||
| Ontario | 1,490 | 732 | 700 | -4.4 | |||
| Pennsylvania | 1,331 | 790 | 628 | -20.5 | |||
| New Mexico | 1,285 | 660 | 585 | -11.4 | |||
| Oklahoma | 1,198 | 545 | 509 | -6.6 | |||
| Texas | 1,183 | 580 | 444 | -23.4 |
The statistics include 444 progeny of stallions standing in North America but foaled abroad, as reported by foreign stud book authorities at the time of publication. In this category, 110 live foals by North American stallions were reported from Republic of Korea, 66 from Saudi Arabia, and 64 were reported from Venezuela. Remaining countries on the list are Ireland, 41; Great Britain, 27; Japan, 22; Thailand, 19; Philippines, 18; Brazil, 17; France, 15; Mexico, 12; Peru, 11; Chile, 10; India, 7; Trinidad and Tobago, 4; Qatar, 1.
The report also includes 99 mares bred to 32 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time. The majority of these mares have not foaled.
