Popular Pierro worked his way through 220 mares in his second year at stud. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited
WITH the number of foals bred in Australia continuing to decline, at what point will the current demand for 'product' be unable to be met?
The number of live foals born in Australia in the past five years has decreased by nearly 3000. In the 18 years prior, dating back to 1992, it only fell by 3237.
So clearly, there's a downward trend.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. A higher percentage of the foal crop is now more commercially viable. It's the same scenario with the reduction in commercial stallions.
But at what point does it start to apply stress to racing numbers and as a result field sizes?
Hong Kong is regarded as the racing mecca of the world, with just two meetings a week (and a welcome end of season break) where punters bet up vigorously on horses they are very familiar with.
Australia is a totally different scenario, where the industry employs thousands more people and is run right around the country.
We race every day of the year bar Good Friday and Christmas Day owing to TAB demands for more 'product'.
Most of it is not appealing product. It's just a blur of wall to wall racing, which has the effect of detracting from the very best meetings.
Principal Racing Authorities are tied into contracts demanding that product quota is met.
Over the Christmas period, we saw the elastic band stretched to its limit, with small fields and numerous cancelled races.
With a shrinking foal crop, this will continue to be the case unless some rationalisation comes into the racing program.
# Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente was among the busiest stallions in Australia last year, working his way through a book of 186 mares.
Not bad, but the effort saw him clock in only seventh on the list of most prolific coverers.
Pierro, in his second year at stud, topped the pops at 220. Snitzel (214), I Am Invincible (211) and Smart Missile (210) also notched double tons.
As an indicator of how the landscape has changed, the busiest stallion 20 years earlier was Danehill, who covered 'just' 127 mares in 1994.
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