stallion cap

The Kentucky legislature has overridden the governor's veto on a sweeping bill that opens the door to fixed odds wagering in the state and bars a cap being placed on the number of mares bred to a stallion there, among its many facets. HB 904, first introduced into the state legislature by Republican Representatives Matthew Koch and Michael Meredith, was approved by state lawmakers earlier this month. Governor Andy Beshear, however, vetoed the bill and issued a statement Monday explaining his decision by arguing the bill would authorize two executive...

The Kentucky legislature has passed a sweeping bill that opens the door to fixed-odds wagering in the state and bars a cap being placed on the number of mares bred to a stallion there. In its final passage Wednesday, the 150-page bill passed out of the state House on a 64-19 vote, with 17 no-votes. It was delivered to Governor Andy Beshear's office on Thursday with a veto-proof majority. HB 904 was introduced into the state legislature by Republican Representatives Matthew Koch and Michael Meredith. Unlike the fluctuating odds that...

A floor amendment has been added to HB 904--a sweeping piece of legislation seeking to legalize fixed-odds wagering in Kentucky--that is designed to essentially ensure no limit can be imposed on the number of mares bred to a stallion in the state. It requires that the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation select and use an entity to act as "a registrar of Thoroughbreds" in the state, meaning it could choose an organization other than The Jockey Club, which is the current breed registry for the U.S., Canada and Puerto...

As somebody remarked at the time, on seeing B. Wayne Hughes and M.V. Magnier deep in conversation one morning before the 2019 Breeders' Cup: "I'll give you 140 guesses what they're talking about."

As somebody remarked at the time, on seeing B. Wayne Hughes and M.V. Magnier deep in conversation one morning before the 2019 Breeders' Cup: "I'll give you 140 guesses what they're talking about." Both men were at Santa Anita representing farms that have had a transformative influence on the commercial breeding landscape, developing a similar system for launching stallions on an industrial scale. We have, of course, since grieved the loss of Hughes--but among his many legacies can now be counted a supporting role in the defeat of The Jockey...

In the face of an end run in the Kentucky legislature, The Jockey Club will rescind its 140 mare cap for stallions, the organization announced in a press release Thursday morning. "The Jockey Club announced today that it is rescinding the following italicized language in Rule 14C of The Jockey Club's Principal Rules and Requirements of the American Studbook that addresses limitations to the total number of mares bred per stallion: The total number of broodmares bred per individual stallion whose year of birth is 2020 or thereafter shall not exceed 140...

In an attempt to get around a controversial rule by The Jockey Club (TJC) that mandates that stallions born from 2020 onward will only be allowed to cover up to 140 mares, the Speaker of Kentucky's House of Representatives on Feb. 14 co-filed a bill that would prohibit "a registrar of Thoroughbreds" from restricting "the number of mares that can be bred to a stallion or otherwise refuse to register any foal based upon the number of mares bred to the stallion." In addition, the measure would empower the Kentucky...

Spendthrift Farm, Ashford Stud and Three Chimneys Farm are suing The Jockey Club in federal court over the "stallion cap" rule that went into effect in 2020, alleging that the 140-mare breeding limit now being phased in amounts to a "blatant abuse of power" that acts as an "anti-competitive restraint" and threatens to disrupt the free-market nature of the bloodstock business. The plaintiffs contend that the stallion cap "serves no legitimate purpose and has no scientific basis" while alleging that the nine stewards of The Jockey Club who voted to...

The US Jockey Club's announcement of an impending cap on the number of mares a stallion can cover has received a mixed reaction among breeders in Britain and Ireland. As reported in yesterday's TDN, colt foals born in 2020 who eventually retire to stud will be restricted to covering 140 mares in a season. No limit will be set for stallions already at stud or for those born before 2020. The US Jockey Club figures for 2019 show that 43 stallions served books of more than 140 mares. In Britain...

Chris McGrath's Value Sires series in the TDN has frequently touched on the difficulty in selling nominations to stallions in their third-year at stud, as well as to solid, established stallions standing for a moderate fee. We asked stallion managers and nominations teams as well as bloodstock agents what changes could be made, if any, to help the situation. I think that the problem is as a result of influence-breeding for sales in the thoroughbred industry. The majority of people who are breeding to sub-$20,000 stallions have mares valued around...