An Intro to the Thoroughbred Industry Calendar

It’s a new year, meaning that we’re starting to look at the months ahead and make plans. When it comes to the Thoroughbred industry, there is rarely a slow season – from foaling and breeding, to the road to the Triple Crown, yearling sales prep and sales season, summer racing, Breeders’ Cup, and breeding stock sales. For an industry newcomer, this can sound like a complicated schedule to follow. But just like seasons of the year change from spring to summer to fall to winter, the Thoroughbred industry has its own “seasons” based on the time of the year. Once you have the pattern down, the process is much easier to follow. This blog will give you a basic overview of the seasons of the Thoroughbred industry, setting you up for future success in following industry news!

Foaling & Breeding Season

January-June

Believe it or not, mares begin foaling in January! You could be driving through wintery weather in Kentucky, look out your window, and see a foal romping through the snowflakes. Foaling season continues through the end of May. 

Breeding season, the time that mares visit stallions to be bred and get in foal technically begins around February 14 in the northern hemisphere. While it’s funny that this coincides with Valentine's Day, the timing is actually very purposeful. Mares have a gestation period (meaning pregnancy) of 11 months. If you breed your mare too early in the year, she could end up foaling before December 31. All Thoroughbreds, regardless of when they are born, have a birthday on January 1. So if you have a baby born in December, it will already be considered a year old when January rolls around. Breeding season wraps up in early June. 

Road to the Triple Crown

September of the previous year through June

The Thoroughbred industry recognizes certain classic races for 3-year-old colts and fillies. The Kentucky Derby is the first “jewel” of the Triple Crown, a series of three prestigious races that includes the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. These races, while not restricted to a particular sex, are mostly contested by colts. Fillies generally point toward races restricted to fillies, including the Kentucky Oaks and the Acorn Stakes. The road to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks refers to a season of prep races that begin at the end of a horse’s 2-year-old year, and gradually lead up to the classics. These prep races are targeted to build a horse’s strength, speed, and stamina so they are at their best for the classic events in May and June.

Yearling Prep & Sales Season

April-October 

The first yearling sale of the year is the Fasig-Tipton July Sale in Lexington, Kentucky. Yearling sales season extends through October, and then the industry transitions to breeding stock-focused sales in November. Sales prep begins around three months before the sale that is being targeted for a particular horse. Yearlings who will be sold in July begin the mental and physical preparation process in mid to late spring, while horses targeting fall sales will begin the prep process in the summer.

Summer Racing

July-September

Once the Triple Crown season has wrapped up, we have summer racing to look forward to! Many states have racing throughout the summer, but the two racetracks best known for their star-studded schedule of races from mid-July through the beginning of September are Del Mar near San Diego in California, and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The industry even has a friendly feud about which one is the best to visit… are you a bigger fan of the West or the East Coast?

Breeders’ Cup

October/November

The Breeders’ Cup takes place annually around the end of October or early November and serves as the end-of-year multi-divisional championship for horses from around the world. Targeting these races requires a nomination process, demonstrating superior racing talent for a division of races and/or winning a Challenge Series race. The Breeders’ Cup can rotate to different tracks each year, but in 2024 and 2025 will take place at the aforementioned Del Mar.

Breeding Stock Sales

November-February

Immediately after the Breeders’ Cup, folks start heading back to Kentucky to gear up for the two major breeding stock sales of the year: The Fasig-Tipton November Sale and the Keeneland November Sale. These sales predominantly consist of fillies and mares who will be sold on to become broodmares, but also include weanlings or recently turned yearlings, called “short yearlings,” and horses of racing age. Breeding stock sales extend into February of the following year, where you might even see a mare with a foal by her side!

Ready to learn more about the various sectors of the Thoroughbred industry? Visit Amplify’s Learn page to discover Breeding, Sales, Racing, and Aftercare.