The Jockey Club Reports Near 6% Decline in Foals

The Jockey Club today announces that 16,100 foals have been reported for 2026 through Oct. 14. The figure, which represents approximately 85%-90% of the total number of foals expected to be reported for the year, is down 5.8% from this point in time a year ago when The Jockey Club had received reports for 17,103 live foals.

The 2026 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the online Fact Book on The Jockey Club website at jockeyclub.com.

Breeders who have not submitted their Live Foal Reports are encouraged to do so to obtain a Registration Application and DNA-typing kit.

The following table shows the 10 states and provinces with the most mares covered in 2025 sorted by number of state/province-sired live foals of 2026 reported through Oct. 14, 2026.

In total for 2025, 1,015 stallions covered 26,024 mares in North America.

The statistics include 229 foals 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 52 mares bred to 18 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time; the majority of these mares have not foaled.

The Jockey Club Insights: What the 2026 Breeding Numbers Tell Us

The 2026 foal count is preliminary. Through Oct. 14, 16,100 live foals had been reported, representing about 85%-90% of the expected total. The count should rise materially as more reports arrive.

Excluding Kentucky, several states and provinces by the area of conception (based on where the reported stallion stood) reported fewer foals. Across the top 10 areas by 2025 Mares Bred, the 2026 count was down 5.3%. Excluding Kentucky, the other nine areas were down 12.5%. New Mexico, California, Florida, Maryland, and Ontario had the steepest declines.

The trend is not uniform. Louisiana reported an increase of 10.9%, Pennsylvania was nearly flat at 0.5%, and New York was close to flat at -1.7%. These results reinforce the importance of strengthening regional breeding programs.

North American stallions have progeny foaled abroad. The release reports 229 foals by North American stallions born abroad to exported mares, led by Japan and Saudi Arabia with 45 each, South Korea with 41, and Ireland with 28.

Plan of Action

 The Jockey Club is working with state and provincial breeding organizations to identify practical ways to strengthen regional programs and support breeder participation.

The second annual breeder workshop, co-hosted with the Thoroughbred Breeders Association and scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 10, in Tucson, Arizona, will bring regional program representatives together to discuss successful program initiatives, collaboration among jurisdictions, and practical approaches to horse husbandry and reproductive care.

For more information, interested parties can contact Najja Thompson, who will join The Jockey Club as director of State Breeder and Provincial Programs on Oct. 28, at contactus@jockeyclub.com.