Breeders urged to review records as foal amnesty deadline approaches
As the clock ticks down on an amnesty on delayed or disputed foal registrations, Thoroughbred Breeders Australia has urged its members to review breeding records for the past two seasons.
Racing Australia’s amnesty on foal ownership declarations is set to close on Tuesday afternoon, with breeders urged to check their mare produce records to ensure foals and yearlings are correctly registered with the Australian Stud Book.
A review of the registration of 70 leading Australian stallions by The Straight showed at least 41 foals from the 2024 and 2025 breeding seasons who have been deemed ineligible to race because of foal registration issues.
These include foals who have been categorised as ineligible because of foal ownership declaration issues and they are either subject to ongoing appeal against RA’s rulings, are yet to have lodged an appeal, or have had an appeal rejected by the national regulator.
The issue has been exacerbated by Racing Australia strictly policing a 30-day deadline for foal registration, while a 60-day delay in registration means the foal is subject to an embargo.
Due to mounting industry concerns, Thoroughbred Breeders Australia sought a means of reviewing those impacted foals and yearlings from Racing Australia.
RA agreed to have a two-week amnesty for foal ownership declarations to be made, which expires at 5:30pm on Tuesday April 14.
“The lodgement of the Foal Ownership Declaration is an important part of our overall horse traceability responsibilities and it is important that Owners and Breeders adhere to the specific Australian Rules of Racing that cover this,” RA chairman Rob Rorison said at the time.
“Our message has been very clear as to how serious an issue this is for the industry and I am pleased to say that the behavioral (sic) changes we are now seeing have resulted in a reduction in the Late Foal Ownership Declarations of 90 per cent.
“We thank the participants for working with us to achieve this much improved result as we move toward 100 per cent compliance.”
TBA has issued a reminder to all breeders to make use of the amnesty period in order to protect the future racing viability of foals and yearlings.
“This is the final opportunity to lodge any outstanding FODs and mare returns from 2024 and 2025 and avoid an embargo,” the breeders’ representative body said.
“We strongly encourage all breeders to double check their records and follow up with owners, partners and clients to ensure no horse is missed.
“Please act now to ensure every eligible foal is captured before the deadline.”
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