I have a 5yo unraced/unregistered TB mare that I bought from auction nearly two years ago during a herd dispersal sale. She sold “grade” because her owner passed right around the time she was foaled and everything at the breeding farm just kind of ground to a halt. I have her mother and I know who her sire is. In this situation will the Jockey Club DNA test and allow her to be papered? It’s not a HUGE deal to me, but the mare is quite fun and showing some talent undersaddle and I would love to be able to show in the H/J TB classes with her at some point. Thanks for any help!
No. Registration would require a $2100 fee along with all the necessary paperwork. If the stud fee wasn’t paid, you would need to settle that as well to obtain the cover certificate.
Since you know her sire and dam, there’s nothing to be gained by running her DNA, and if she was never registered, DNA would come back as no match, anyway, since she wouldn’t be in their database.
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Hmm. Ok thanks! Sounds like the JC is a dead end for my purposes. But if I’m understanding you correctly, she would be eligible to be registered if I wanted to pay and jump through all paperwork hoops? I was just reading the Take 2 specs and it says all TBs registered with the Jockey Club or identified by lip tattoo, or “eligible to be registered with the JC,” are allowed to compete. I guess I would need to take it up with them or individual horse show management.
You would need a stallion certificate as well to document the stud fee was paid. I would look into getting a TIP number
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I thought they had to be registered to qualify for TIP?
@Inimitable yeah, if you wanted to pay the bucks and track down all the paperwork, she could be registered. It’s a lot of money, though, just to show in TB classes. Especially if the stud fee wasn’t paid, and it sounds fairly likely that it was not.
Checking in with the group running the show program sounds smart–see what they’d need to qualify you. Do you have any proof of parentage?
My mistake
No proof of parentage, unless you count a literal sticky note from the auction house. 
I’m guessing anything USEF rated will be a no go for us based on my lack of proof. But there’s a TB Showdown this fall at the Horse Park of NJ that I’d like to take her to. It’s put on by one of the after care orgs and is kind of a mini makeover. I’d like to support it and bring her, her mother, and my other TB mare for a fun weekend. Guess I’ll be checking in with them to see if they will allow us. Problem is she also looks like a QH, not a TB.
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If you have Jockey Club Interactive you might check and see how far along in the registration process she got. (Or I would be happy to, if you want to share her dam’s name and YOB, feel free to pm me.)
It could be anything from nothing was reported to the JC (and you’d be SOL, unless you want to register her yourself) to–who knows?–maybe she IS registered but was sold as grade because the paperwork was too challenging for the estate to deal with.
From what you’ve described, I’d guess the former, but no harm in looking!
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That would be awesome! PM incoming. Thanks!
There is no harm in calling the JC in person. I have found them to be incredibly helpful and kind,.
After the breeding season the stallion owner sends in a Report of Mares Bred, so even if the foal was not registered (or maybe she is!) there would/should be some verification.
Good luck!
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Unfortunately, there’s no record of her breeding either. From what I’ve been able to piece together in terms of timeline, the farm owner passed away in February ‘19 and my filly was born later that season. She was the only foal that year. I’m guessing the farm was already in disarray before he passed, and then once he was gone things really got chaotic. It wasn’t until 3.5 years later in September ‘22 that the estate was finally settled and the horses were sent to auction. My poor filly was the last one on the ground and spent her first 3 years fending for herself. You can tell someone got a halter on her and then just left it there - she has a huge scar across her nose where it started to grow into her face. But dang if she isn’t the sweetest thing now - and pretty darn athletic and talented!
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Reach out to them. While they aren’t going to change their protocol, they might be able to give you advice on how to best proceed.
IIRC didn’t the farm stand the stallion the year your filly was bred? Then he sort of disappeared in the disarray?
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Yes, exactly. So I’m thinking there was no stud fee involved either? But I admittedly have no idea how any of that works. I’ll give them a call at some point and see if they can point me in a direction.
That’s why you need to talk to someone directly.
They aren’t going to wave any fees or requirements, but in the situation where the stallion owner could not file or release the certificate due to health/death/whatever, there has to be some sort of action that can be taken. Like a notorized statement from the estate.
I’m in a slightly similar situation with a standardbred filly. The mare had a lifelong lease at the time of mating but the lease holder died. I can get that part taken care of, I just need a bunch of notorized paperwork I haven’t pursued because I also need to pay a stud fee that I can’t afford. But talking to the registry directly was a thousand times more helpful than all the speculation I was doing online. 
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Oh boy. Good luck!
Now it just becomes a question of how much I really care. I didn’t care at all until this little TB show this fall came on my radar. If they accept her based on my story and existing evidence, then dealing with breed registries can move down the to-do list. I don’t really need to be the only one jumping around the Take2 TB jumpers at Saratoga. 
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Believe me, I understand!
At one point I was hoping to race or consign my filly, since is a nice horse with above average breeding. But when it became clear that the expense to get her registered was going to be too great, I abandoned that idea. I’m still hoping the stallion owner will work with me in a few years for sport papers. There are standardbred shows and it would be nice if those were an option for her, especially since standardbreds are a little limited in how competitive they can be in open company. But it is what it is!
Your filly is so nice so I completely understand why you would want to have the same options for her. It wasn’t her fault she got caught up in that disaster, just like it wasn’t my filly’s fault she landed with me.
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So here’s one more online speculation question before I pick up the phone: Since I don’t care all that much about doing the rated TB classes, would there be any benefit to getting her DNA tested to prove her parentage for these little breed shows I might want to do where eligibility is fully at the discretion of show management? Since both her dam (Nickerdoodle) and sire (First Cornertstone) are JC registered, is it not possible for them to match her back to them?
This has turned into a really interesting discussion. I’m glad I posted and appreciate everyone who has chimed in!
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DNA typing is only $85 I think? So that’s up to you IMO.
I can’t imagine a show bending the rules on registration, but maybe?
For $85 it can’t hurt to at least have verification.
But again, I’d reach out to the Jockey Club. They worst they can tell you is you’re out of luck. But they tend to be pretty nice.
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I looked up First Cornerstone (IRE) on the JC site and it says that his Report of Mares Bred was turned in and complete for the years 2016 and 2017. If your mare was born in one of those years, maybe that will help?
Oops, sorry–just saw that she is 5 years old. 
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In case others don’t remember, and hopefully the OP won’t mind me sharing, but her two horses were part of this dispersal after NY breeder Todd Stinson died:
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