Irish breeders' chair emphasises importance of maintaining quality amid drop in foal crop
Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) chairperson Cathy Grassick believes the focus should be on maintaining quality rather than quantity when assessing the downward trend in the number of foals being bred in Ireland.
On Monday, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) revealed figures to the Racing Post that showed foal numbers in Britain have plummeted at a far quicker rate than anticipated, with the 2026 number expected to drop to a number not forecasted to be reached until 2051. Modelling provided by TBA chair Philip Newton predicted as big as a 25 per cent decline between 2022 and 2026.
Foal numbers in Ireland decreased considerably as a result of the economic downturn post-2008 with the crop falling from 12,418 to 7,588 between 2008 and 2010, a reduction of 39 per cent. The next significant move came in 2015 when it rose back up to 8,780 and it has eclipsed 9,000 every year until 2024, when 8,887 foals were born.
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