The Jockey Club today reported that 3,097 stallions covered 58,739 mares in North America during 2005, according to Reports of Mares Bred (RMBs) received through Oct. 13, 2005.

The statistics include the number of mares bred to each stallion and represent approximately 90 percent of the mares bred in 2005. Based on historical trends, The Jockey Club expects to receive an additional 800 to 1,000 RMBs from the 2005 breeding season.

The number of stallions declined 4.4 percent from the 3,239 reported at this time in 2004, while the number of mares bred decreased 1.0 percent against the 59,342 reported at this time last year.

The number of stallions bred to 100 or more mares increased from 117 last year to 126 in 2005. These 126 stallions covered 15,971 mares, or 27.2 percent of all mares reported bred.

Lion Heart led all stallions with a record 233 mares bred, 11 more than Chapel Royal. Also covering more than 200 mares during the 2005 breeding season were Giant’s Causeway, 215, and Fusaichi Pegasus, 213.

States or provinces in which a stallion covered at least 100 mares were Kentucky (86); Florida (22); California (6); Maryland (4); New York (3); Arkansas (1); Louisiana (1); Ontario (1); Texas (1); and Utah (1).

“Although we haven’t received reports for about a quarter of all stallions despite the requested August 1 submission date, the RMBs submitted to date indicate a continuation of the trend toward larger stallion book sizes,” said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s vice president of registration services. “Historically, this trend is accompanied by an increase in live foal and registration percentages which would support our previously announced forecast of 37,300 registered foals for 2006.”

Among the 13 states or provinces in which stallions covered at least 1,000 mares this year, five states – Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and West Virginia – experienced an increase in both stallions and mares bred when compared to 2004 as reported at this time last year.

RMB statistics for all reported stallions in 2005 are available through the “Information and Statistics” section of The Jockey Club’s web site at http://www.jockeyclub.com.