It’s not a new phenomenon for a Flat stallion to switch to a National Hunt stud and suddenly find himself in strong demand and that was certainly the case this year for Maxios (GB), who moved from Gestut Fahrhof to Castlehyde Stud, where he covered 298 mares.
Weatherbys, which has just published its annual Return Of Mares, records the son of Monsun (Ger) as the busiest stallion of 2020 in Britain and Ireland, while the most in-demand freshman sire was Crystal Ocean (GB), who covered 280 mares at The Beeches Stud.
The book also shows a decline in the combined foal crops of the two countries to be 5%, falling from 13,443 in 2019 to 12,778. Weatherbys does, however, issue the caveat that foal registrations have been carried out later by some breeders owing to “the unique challenges presented by Covid”, and that could lead to a higher number of foals being registered between the end of September and next February’s Return Of Mares Supplement.
The registered shortfall for now is more pronounced in Britain, where the number of foals dropped by 9% to 4,236, the steepest reduction since a 16% drop in 2010. The numbers rose steadily during the middle of the last decade, to a recent high of 4,674 in 2017. In Ireland, the foal crop was down by 2.8% year-on-year to 8,542, the third consecutive small reduction since 9,044 foals were registered in 2017.
Similarly, the number of mares at stud in Britain dropped and is now 8,161 compared to 9,015 just three years ago, with almost 86% of those mares having been covered in 2020. The reduction in broodmare numbers in Ireland has been more modest and currently stands at 14,201 compared to 14,434 in 2017, with 89% having been covered.
The number of recorded coverings in 2020 was also down—to 19,961 from 20,819 in 2017. Ireland lost 20 stallions from its ranks in 2020 and now has 232, while Britain’s tally was down by just three to 149.
The Return Of Mares can be bought from the Weatherbys offices at Tattersalls or Goffs during the sales and can also be ordered online via this link.
The post Breeding Stock Numbers Fall Again In 2020 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
“American Pharoah winning the Classic was awesome. He was doing something that will probably never done again in many years, if ever.”
“Selfishly, we had a runner that year in the Distaff, Curalina. She put up a really game effort to be third behind Stopchargingmaria and Stellar Wind. That was my most vivid memory.”
“I had 2 1/2 to get from Lexington, Ky., to Shelbyville, Ind., to make it from the end of American Pharoah's Classic win to Bucchero's first stakes win as a 3-year-old in the To Much Coffee at Indiana Grand. I'm a big planner, and I was sitting next to my partner saying, 'I don't think we can wait until American Pharoah crosses the finish line.' We had to make a beeline to the car because other people would be trying to leave. I had so much excitement for American Pharoah's race, and I thank him for winning it so convincingly, because we legitimately headed into the tunnel when he passed us, and we were able to get to the car. We arrived in Shelbyville as Bucchero was walking into the paddock. It was the first stakes win for Ironhorse.”
“American Pharoah putting on a show in the final race of his career, and destroying the field. He was just a magical horse. I was a big fan of his, and to watch him go out to Keeneland and dominate the way he did, and the reception he got, it was just a special, special day.”
“Donegal Racing had over 125 people at the races that day, and I think that was my biggest memory. It was the year Keen Ice won the Travers, beating American Pharoah, and we, of course, were hoping that he'd repeat that feat in the Classic. That wasn't meant to be, but it was still a very exciting summer and fall of racing.”