Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association
Posted: Oct. 1, 2018
Pennsylvania is one of three states or provinces in the top 10 by number of live foals reported so far in 2018 that has shown an increase from 2017, according to The Jockey Club.
Overall, The Jockey Club said 1,778 stallions covered 34,288 mares in North America in 2017 based on information received through Sept. 26. The number of live foals reported—21,130—is about 90% of the total expected to be reported, the organization said.
The live foal projection for 2018 is 21,500. The number received so far this year is off by 2.3% from the same period in 2017. The Jockey Club so far has received 2,516 “no foal reports.”
The statistics show Pennsylvania has 373 reported live foals, which is up 29.1% from 289 last year. Of the top 10 jurisdictions by number of live foals, Pennsylvania has the highest increase from 2017, followed by Ontario at 24.7% (495 live foals) and New Mexico at 0.5% (372 live foals).
The remaining seven states showed decreases. Maryland had 483 reported live foals, down 3.4% from last year, while New York had 777 reported live foals, a decrease of 14.8% from 2017.
As usual, Kentucky led the way with 12,370 reported live foals, a drop of 0.2% from last year, but led all states and provinces with 58.5% of the total reported live foals. The biggest decline (19.6%) in the top 10 came in Florida, which had 1,217 reported live foals.
The number of stallions declined 4.6% from the 1,863 reported for 2016 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred declined 4.9% from the 36,045 reported for 2016.
“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 of The Jockey Club. “Breeding statistics also are not a representation of a stallion’s fertility record.”