The Jockey Club today reported that 2,392 stallions covered 37,908 mares in North America during 2012, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 9, 2013. These breedings have resulted in 22,001 live foals of 2013 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of Sept. 9, 2013.
The Jockey Club estimates that the number of live foals reported so far is approximately 90 percent complete. The reporting of live foals of 2013 is down 2.2 percent from last year at this time when The Jockey Club had received reports for 22,500 live foals of 2012.
In addition to the 22,001 live foals of 2013 reported through Sept. 9, The Jockey Club had also received 2,891 No Foal Reports for the 2013 foaling season. Ultimately, the 2013 registered foal crop is projected to reach 23,000.
The number of stallions declined 8.7 percent from the 2,620 reported for 2011 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred decreased 4.8 percent from the 39,838 reported for 2011.
The 2012 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the Publications and Resources link on The Jockey Club homepage at jockeyclub.com.
Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s executive vice president and executive director, 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 41.1 percent of the mares reported bred in North America in 2012 and 48.8 percent of the live foals reported for 2013.
The 15,569 mares reported bred to 249 Kentucky stallions in 2012 have produced 10,726 live foals, a 2.1 percent decrease on the 10,960 Kentucky-sired live foals of 2012 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2012 declined 2.2 percent against the 15,918 reported for 2011 at this time last year.
Among the 10 states and provinces in which stallions covered at least 1,000 mares in 2012, only Florida and New York stallions produced more live foals in 2013 than in 2012 as reported at this time last year. The following table shows the 10 states and provinces, ranked by number of state/province-sired live foals of 2013 reported through Sept. 9, 2013.
2012 Mares Bred | 2012 Live Foals | 2013 Live Foals | Percent Change | |
| Kentucky | 15,569 | 10,960 | 10,726 | -2.1% |
| Florida | 3,187 | 1,642 | 1,751 | 6.6% |
| California | 2,475 | 1,600 | 1,582 | -1.1% |
| Louisiana | 2,306 | 1,344 | 1,172 | -12.8% |
| New York | 1,664 | 713 | 971 | 36.2% |
| Ontario | 1,350 | 700 | 684 | -2.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,124 | 628 | 608 | -3.2% |
| New Mexico | 1,127 | 585 | 503 | -14.0% |
| Oklahoma | 1,124 | 509 | 470 | -7.7% |
| Texas | 1,014 | 444 | 417 | -6.1% |
The statistics include 322 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, 103 live foals by North American stallions were reported from Republic of Korea, 60 from Great Britain, and 42 from Ireland. Remaining countries on the list are Philippines, 23; Japan, 19; Mexico, 17; Brazil, 13; France, 11; Jamaica, 10; Argentina, 5; India, 5; Thailand, 5; Qatar, 3; Chile, 2; Dominican Republic, 2; Ecuador, 1; Sweden, 1.
The report also includes 75 mares bred to 30 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time. The majority of these mares have not foaled.