Thoroughbred Breeding in North America Down in 2020
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
The report notes 17,240 mares were bred in Kentucky
The Jockey Club reported Oct. 5 that 1,552 stallions covered 31,198 mares in North America during 2019, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 29, 2020. These breedings have resulted in 19,677 live foals of 2020 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports.
The Jockey Club estimates that the number of live foals reported so far is approximately 85-90% complete. The reporting of live foals of 2020 is down 3.4% from last year at this time when TJC had received reports for 20,363 live foals of 2019.
In addition to the 19,677 live foals of 2020 reported through Sept. 29, TJC also received 2,476 No Foal Reports for the 2020 foaling season. Ultimately, the 2020 registered foal crop is projected to reach 20,500.
The number of stallions declined 4.8% from the 1,630 reported for 2018 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred declined 4% from the 32,508 reported for 2018. The 2019 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the Resources—Fact Book link on The Jockey Club homepage at jockeyclub.com.
Kentucky annually leads all states and provinces in terms of Thoroughbred breeding activity. Kentucky-based stallions accounted for 55% of the mares reported bred in North America in 2019 and 60% of the live foals reported for 2020.
The 17,240 mares reported bred to 228 Kentucky stallions in 2019 have produced 11,851 live foals, a 2.9% decrease on the 12,200 Kentucky-sired live foals of 2019 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2019 decreased 1.2% compared with the 17,446 reported for 2018 at this time last year.
Among the 10 states and provinces with the most mares covered in 2019, three produced more live foals in 2020 than in 2019 as reported at this time last year: Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
The statistics include 429 progeny of stallions standing in North America but foaled abroad, as reported by foreign stud book authorities at the time of publication.
The report also includes 79 mares bred to 14 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time; the majority of these mares have not foaled.
The following table shows the top 10 states and provinces ranked by number of state/province-sired live foals of 2020 reported through Sept. 29, 2020.
| 2019 Mares Bred | 2019 Live Foals | 2020 Live Foals | Percent Change in Live Foals | |
| Kentucky | 17,240 | 12,200 | 11,851 | -2.9% |
| California | 2,129 | 1,612 | 1,390 | -13.8% |
| Florida | 2,024 | 1,164 | 1,156 | -0.7% |
| New York | 1,080 | 703 | 652 | -7.3% |
| Louisiana | 1,082 | 728 | 647 | -11.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 853 | 339 | 510 | 50.4% |
| Maryland | 804 | 537 | 506 | -5.8% |
| Ontario | 615 | 377 | 350 | -7.2% |
| Oklahoma | 631 | 289 | 342 | 18.3% |
| New Mexico | 624 | 307 | 313 | 2% |
Progeny of North American Stallions foaled abroad
| Country | Live Foals |
| Saudi Arabia | 150 |
| Turkey | 83 |
| Republic of Korea | 81 |
| Ireland | 38 |
| Japan | 23 |
| Great Britain | 16 |
| France | 13 |
| Chile | 8 |
| Jamaica | 8 |
| Australia | 4 |
| Germany | 2 |
| Peru | 2 |
| Barbados | 1 |