The Jockey Club Releases 2022 Breeding Statistics; Gun Runner on Top

Twelve hundred forty eight stallions covered 28,548 mares in North America during 2022 with breedings resulting in 18,143 live foals for 2023, according to statistics compiled through Oct. 8 in the Jockey Club's Live Foal Report, the organization said in a release Wednesday morning.

In terms of individual stallions, Gun Runner, standing at Three Chimneys, was tops among all stallions when it came to mares bred. He was bred to 256 mares in 2022. He was followed by Yaupon (Spendthrift), 242; Mendelssohn (Coolmore), 232; Practical Joke (Coolmore), 230; and Not This Time (Taylor Made), 225. The top 56 stallions by mares covered were all in Kentucky. Five different farms had a stallion in the top 10, up from four in 2021.

Uncle Chuck topped the list of sires who do not stand in Kentucky. A Florida-based stallion, he was bred to 133 mares. The top five in this category was rounded out by Stay Thirsty (California-121); Honest Mischief (New York-119); Central Banker (New York-113); and Leinster (Florida-100).

The Jockey Club estimates that the number of live foals reported so far is 85-90 percent complete. The reporting of live foals of 2023 is down 2.5 percent from last year at this time when The Jockey Club had received reports for 18,609 live foals of 2022.

In addition to the 18,143 live foals of 2023 reported through October 8, The Jockey Club also received 2,018 No Foal Reports for the 2023 foaling season. Ultimately, the 2023 registered foal crop is projected to reach 18,500.

The number of stallions declined 4.2 percent from the 1,303 reported for 2021 at this time last year, while the number of mares bred declined 1.8 percent from the 29,065 reported for 2021.

Seventeen stallions bred 200 mares or more. Those stallions stood at six different farms: Three Chimneys, Spendthrift, Coolmore, Taylor Made, Hill 'n' Dale, and WinStar. There were 52 stallions who bred 140 or more mares. Gun Runner's 256 mares bred resulted in 192 live foal reports. The most expensive stallion in 2022, Into Mischief, covered 202 mares, resulting in 153 live foal reports.

TOP 10 STALLIONS BY MARES BRED IN 2022

Kentucky annually leads all states and provinces in terms of Thoroughbred breeding activity. Kentucky-based stallions accounted for 58.9 percent of the mares reported bred in North America in 2022 and 63.7 percent of the live foals reported for 2023.

The 16,827 mares reported bred to 208 Kentucky stallions in 2022 have produced 11,564 live foals, a 0.9 percent increase on the 11,460 Kentucky-sired live foals of 2022 reported at this time last year. The number of mares reported bred to Kentucky stallions in 2022 increased 0.2 percent compared to the 16,796 reported for 2021 at this time last year.

Among the 10 states and provinces with the most mares covered in 2022, four produced more live foals in 2023 than in 2022 as reported at this time last year: Kentucky, New York, Maryland, and Indiana.

The following table shows those 10 states and provinces with the most mares covered in 2022 sorted by number of state/province-sired live foals of 2023 reported through October 8, 2023.

The statistics include 227 progeny, 46 more than in 2022, 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 67 mares bred to 23 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time; the majority of these mares have not foaled. In 2021, there were 50 mares bred to 19 stallions in North America on Southern Hemisphere time.

As customary, a report listing the number of mares bred in 2023 will be released later this month.

The 2023 breeding statistics are available alphabetically by stallion name through the Resources – Fact Book. Click here for the link.