The Jockey Club today reported that 3,439 stallions covered 56,901 mares in North America during 2008, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 9, 2009. These matings have resulted in 31,727 live foals of 2009 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of Sept. 9, 2009.

As in past years, The Jockey Club estimates that the reporting of live foals is approximately 90% complete. The reporting of live foals of 2009 is down 8.2% from last year at this time when The Jockey Club had received reports for 34,561 live foals of 2008.

“As we announced last month, the North American registered foal crop projection for 2009 has been revised downward to 34,000 and the live foal returns to date reflect that,” said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s vice president of registration services. “Although breeding activity has been in decline for several years, the rate of decline accelerated in both the 2008 and 2009 breeding seasons so we will see fewer live foals born next year as well.”

The 2009 registered foal crop projection of 34,000 takes into account that not all live foals become registered. In addition to the 31,727 live foals of 2009 reported through Sept. 9, The Jockey Club had also received 6,755 No Foal Reports for the 2009 foaling season