How big is the thoroughbred industry? Who are the star stallions and mares this year?
Thoroughbreds are the No. 1 legal agricultural export of Kentucky — ahead of tobacco and behind marijuana, the No. 1 export overall. According to a Lexington Chamber of Commerce report, the horse industry employs 75,000 people and is responsible for 7.5% of the state’s gross business revenue, or $5 billion. You’re right to ask about the hot stallions — the breeding industry is very influenced by fashions, and folks always want to breed to the stud who sired the latest big winner. Right now, Thunder Gulch, who sired last year’s Horse of the Year, Point Given, is the hot commodity. Mares don’t really go in and out of fashion the way studs do because of their biological limits. A mare can have only one product a year so her value is never so spectacular, but it does tend to hold a bit more steady. Q: Can you describe what a typical stud “live cover” is like? A: In the Bluegrass State, the equine sexual act is a highly choreographed event. At the best operations, like Overbrook Farm, whe
