Jockey Club estimates 500 fewer foals in 2024 than 2023

The Jockey Club is projecting a North American registered thoroughbred foal crop of 18,000 in 2024. This represents 500 fewer foals, or a 2.7 percent drop, compared to the 2023 foal crop estimate of 18,500.

The foal crop projection is computed by using reports of mares bred (RMBs) received to date for the 2023 breeding season. RMBs are to be filed by August 1 of each breeding season.

This continues a downward trend in the North American foal crop every year since 2016. According to annual foal crop statistics from The Jockey Club, the estimated foal crop of 18,500 is a 1.1 percent drop from the 2022 figure of 18,700. The last time the foal crop rose year over year was in 2015, when there was a 0.2 percent rise: 23,047 in 2015, with 23,001 in 2014.

Additional foal crop information is available in The Jockey Club’s online fact book and in the online state fact books.

Stallion owners who have not returned their RMBs for the 2023 breeding season are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Interactive registration, which enables registered users to perform virtually all registration-related activities over the Internet, is the most efficient means of submitting RMBs and is available at registry.jockeyclub.com.