The mad rush to get mares in foal in September for that prized "early cover" might not pay the dividends on the track that the market leads breeders to believe...
Statistics from the current racing season compiled by Victoria's Swettenham Stud show an alarming success rate for foals bred later in the season - later than many breeders would contemplate.
Just 14% of Stakes Winners this season have been from September covers - given the hype around early foals, one could maybe expect better.
Alternatively October covers have produced 25% of the Stakes Winners, a massive 42% from November covers and 18% from December covers.
Incredible statistics aren't they?
So what does it all mean? Well, in the simplest possible terms, if you breed your mare in November you have more than three-times the chance of breeding a Stakes winner. Perhaps now is the time that NATURE intended us to be breeding horses, when the weather has broken, when the sun is warm and when the grass is green and long...
Both Fierce Impact and Royal Meeting are SUPER FERTILE - if you haven't bred your mare yet in season 2021, there's still time to get a big result.