A total of 1,167 European Breeders' Fund foals were nominated last year, the highest European tally since the EBF foal nomination program began in 1998 and an 11.6% increase over the 2001 European crop.For the 2003 breeding season, 1,131 stallions have been nominated to the Breeders' Cup program. The program is still open to newly retired stallions. Total stallion revenue is $8,186,234, a 7.8% decrease from the previous season.Breeders' Cup foal and stallion nominations fund the purses for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, the Breeders' Cup stakes program, and other marketing and television initiatives underwritten by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Breeders' Cup Ltd. said 13,846 foals were nominated to the Breeders' Cup program in 2002, an 8.3% decrease in nominated foals from 2001.The decline in nominations was due to mare reproductive loss syndrome, which swept through Kentucky farms during the spring of 2001. The number of Kentucky foals nominated in 2002 was 6,573, a 21.5% decrease from the 7,983 foals nominated last year.Total foal nomination revenue generated by the 2002 foal crop was $6.923 million.