2020 was a year like no other, with the breeding season kicking off on 1 September under a cloud of uncertainty due to COVID-19, a raft of new Breeding Regulations, an uncertain economic outlook, lockdowns and transported semen interruptions.
But the renowned resilience of Standardbred breeders has again shone through with all indications that records will tumble and trends reverse in what has been a stunning year and turnaround.
The cut-off for Studs to load services for the 2020/21 Breeding Season passed on 31 March, and although there are still some Studs yet to load all of their services, once this administration is complete, Harness Racing Australia (HRA) is confident of officially reporting more than 5,000 services for the 2020/21 breeding season.
Should this eventuate, that will be at least 355 services more than last season (4,645) and the first time since 2017/18 that more than 5,000 services have been recorded in a single breeding season.
On current figures, total services have already increased 6% year on year, while for “Colonial Stallions” the increase is almost 10% on 2019/20 figures.
The number of Registered Stallions also rose to 196 in 2020/21, which was eight more than the previous year (188).
It is hoped that full details will be published by HRA on 12 April, which is well advanced from previous years.
For more information, please contact Andrew Kelly on 03 9227 3000 or akelly@hra.com.au
