The Jockey Club Exploring Book Size Limits
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Mares and foals at a Central Kentucky farm
The Jockey Club board of stewards, concerned with narrowing diversity of the Thoroughbred gene pool, announced Sept. 6 it's considering rules to limit the annual breeding of individual stallions starting with the 2021 breeding season.
The Jockey Club, established in 1894, is the keeper of the American Stud Book and maintains the Principal Rules and Requirements of the American Studbook in order to ensure the welfare of the Thoroughbred breed. The size of the North American foal crop has diminished significantly, from 37,499 in 2007 to 20,500 estimated for 2020.
In 2007, 37 stallions were reported to have in excess of 140 mares bred, from a total of 3,865 stallions. By 2010, the number of stallions with 140 or more mares bred had declined to 24 but since then their number has nearly doubled to 43 stallions from a population of stallions that now stands at less than one-half that of 2007.
On the mare side, in 2007, 5,894 mares (9.5% of the total) were bred by stallions that covered more than 140 mares. By 2019, 7,415 mares (27% of the total) were covered by stallions with books of more than 140, a threefold increase.
The combination of these changes has resulted in a substantial increase in the percentage of foals produced by a discreet segment of stallions—signaling a worrisome concentration of the gene pool.
The board of stewards of The Jockey Club is considering a cap of 140 mares bred per individual stallion per calendar year in North America, phased-in, as follows:
- Stallions entering stud service for the first time in 2020 would be exempt from the 140 limit through the 2023 season
- Stallions that entered stud service in 2019 would be exempt through the 2022 season
- Stallions that entered stud service in 2018 would be exempt through the 2021 season
- Stallions that entered service in 2017 or prior would be subject to the 140 cap as of Jan. 1, 2021
The stewards will continue to study the decreasing diversity of the Thoroughbred gene pool and its cause and potential effects over the course of time. As more data and analyses become available, the stewards may revise The Jockey Club's approach to protecting the breed's health and welfare.
The Jockey Club solicits and welcomes comments on the proposed rule from breeders, owners, and others with interests in the Thoroughbred breed and the industry. Contact The Jockey Club at jockeyclub.com.