The “Report of Mares Bred” released by The Jockey Club Oct. 22 shows that Pennsylvania breeding is on the rise while the industry is in decline in every other major breeding state.

According to the report, based on information received through Oct. 13 and which TJC said represents approximately 92% of the mares bred this year, the number of mares bred in Pennsylvania rose 25.3% to 1,550, compared with the 1,237 that had been bred through the same period in 2008.

Also, the number of stallions in the Keystone State rose 7.9%, from 89 in 2008 to 96 this year. The growth in Pennsylvania breeding at the expense of other major breeding states is directly related to the growth in purses at the state’s racetracks, which generate revenues for racing from their popular racetrack casino operations. As a result of the 2009 breeding activity, Pennsylvania went from 10th to sixth on the list of mares bred.

Although it experienced downturns in both number of stallions and mares bred, Kentucky maintained its position atop the breeding lists, with 42.2% of all mares reported bred. The Bluegrass state had 308 stallions standing in 2009, compared with 318 in 2008, and there were 19,112 mares bred reported in 2009, down 10.3% from the 21,317 figure through the same period in 2008