Breeders' Cup Foal Nominations for 2005 Set Record

Officials of Breeders' Cup Limited announced Thursday that a record 16,183 foals were nominated to the Breeders' Cup program in 2005. The 16,183 foals by Breeders' Cup, European Breeders' Fund and Common Fund nominated stallions tops the old mark of 15,947 nominated foals in 2004.

The 2005 total also represents a 1.5% increase in nominated foals from 2004, and a 15.5% increase since 2002. (The 2005 results do not include Southern Hemisphere foals, which have an April 15 nomination deadline.) In addition, the Breeders' Cup sired foals represent a record high of 49% of the eligible foal crop for North America.

Total foal nomination revenue generated by the 2005 foal crop was $8,214,000, the highest revenue total since the Breeders' Cup nomination program began in 1982.

"We are delighted with this year's record breaking nomination totals and our steady growth over the past three years," said D.G. Van Clief, Jr. president of Breeders' Cup Ltd. "We salute our nominators, whose support of our programs is critical to the growth of the Breeders' Cup and our industry."

Breeders' Cup foal and stallion nominations fund the purses for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the Breeders' Cup Stakes Program and other marketing and television initiatives underwritten by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

Foal nominators paid a one-time fee of $500 per foal by Oct. 15, 2005, which made their foals eligible to the Breeders' Cup program for their entire racing careers. For the second consecutive year, foals that were not nominated by Oct. 15 could also be nominated by Dec. 15 for a one-time fee of $1,500. A record number 123 foals were nominated after Oct. 15 under the late fee program.

Foals sired by European Breeders' Fund stallions also reached an all time record of 1,500 foals nominated to the Breeders' Cup, up from 1,283 in 2004.

All nominated foals are by Breeders' Cup, EBF or Common Fund nominated stallions. Breeders' Cup stallion nominators pay an annual fee equal to their stallion's advertised stud fee in order to make those stallions eligible to the Breeders' Cup program.