If only the AQHA would report the same

The impact of the recession and related downturn in the bloodstock market are strikingly reflected in the Jockey Club’s projection of the smallest registered North American foal crop in 32 years.

Responsible breeding pays great dividends not only to owners but to the horses themselves

The Jockey Club projected a 2010 registered foal crop of 30,000, which would be the smallest since 30,036 were registered in 1977. The Jockey Club also revised its original estimate of registered foals for 2009 from 35,400 to 34,000.

The foal crop projection is computed by using reports of mares bred received for the 2009 breeding season. Reports of mares bred are to be filed by August 1 of each breeding season.

Reports of mares bred statistics are typically announced in October. The number of mares bred has declined each of the last three years, from 58,909 in 2006 to 56,608 in ’07 and 51,563 in ’08.

“After remaining stable for more than a decade, the number of mares bred has declined annually beginning in 2006 and the rate of that decline has accelerated in each of the last two breeding seasons,” said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s vice president of registration services. “These declines will have an obvious impact on the business in the years ahead, most notably at the racetrack, where, on average, 70% of registered foals make at least one career start.”

The registered foal crop increased in 33 of 34 years between 1953 and ‘86, the year the North American crop peaked at 51,296 foals. The registered crop declined each year from 1987 to ‘95 before leveling off between 35,000 and 37,000 from ’96 to ’99. The effects of mare reproductive syndrome dropped the 2002 registered crop to 32,985 registered foals and preceded three years of increases before the latest string of declines.

“We strongly encourage all stallion owners to submit their 2009 Reports of Mares Bred as soon as possible so that we can fully gauge the impact of these declines in 2009 breeding activity,” Iuliano said. “As always, we will publish this information in full as soon as a representative number of reports are in hand.”