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US Jockey Club ruling would limit stallions to 140 mares per year

Three of Kentucky's biggest stud farms have filed a lawsuit challenging The Jockey Club's ‘stallion cap’ rule to restrict Thoroughbred stallions from breeding more than 140 mares each year. 

The complaint, filed on behalf of Spendthrift Farm, Coolmore’s Ashford Stud and Three Chimneys Farm, argues that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has unlawfully delegated power to the US Jockey Club, and that the new rule breaches the constitutions of Kentucky and the US, as well as federal and state antitrust laws.

"The introduction of the Stallion Cap by The Jockey Club is a blatant abuse of power that is bad law, bad science and bad business,” said B. Wayne Hughes of Spendthrift Farm, who was commenting on behalf of the plaintiffs.

"A handful of individuals from a private club in New York have been allowed to make a decision that will negatively impact the future of thoroughbred racing and breeding both in Kentucky and the whole country.

"We have filed this complaint to defend the industry from anti-competitive, un-American and arbitrary decision making that is not based on scientific evidence. If they can limit the number to 140, what’s to stop them from limiting it to 100 or 80 or any other number down the road? What if your mare isn't one of the 140? We are really concerned about the small breeder's ability to survive this."

The Jockey Club announced the rule on May 7 last year which, beginning with stallions foaled in 2020, limits the number of mares which can be bred to a stallion in a calendar year to 140.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court, Central Division at Lexington.