Thoroughbred Foal Crop for 2015 Predicted to be Similar to 2014

Based on the number of mares bred in 2014, The Jockey Club is predicting a 2015 Thoroughbred foal crop of 22,000. This is the same number of foals predicted for 2014 and is lower than the prediction of 23,000 for the foal crop of 2013.

Any figure for a foal crop is an educated guess because it is usually made before all reports of mares bred have been received. Also, not all foals that are born will survive, and some surviving foals may not be registered, even if they are sound and healthy. However, these predictions can be seen as an indicator of the health of the Thoroughbred industry because breeders try to produce enough foals to satisfy the market without saturating the pool of purchasers, a factor that could lower prices across the board.