Plus 10, a new £5.5 million bonus scheme for Great British and Irish owners and breeders has been declared officially open for business with the support of global breeding powerhouse Darley, which yesterday registered 332 foals into the scheme.
Plus 10 is set to become the richest joint owner and breeder scheme of its kind, offering £10,000 bonuses on more than 550 two and three-year-old races once fully operational in 2016.
With its enhanced scale, Plus 10 will provide an incentive for breeders to keep their mares in Britain and Ireland and encourage breeders outside the country to support local bloodstock.
Named for its rich £10,000 bonuses, Plus 10 unifies and replaces existing bonus schemes, at first operating in tandem with the British Owners and Breeders Incentive Scheme (BOBIS), before replacing it entirely in 2016, while the Racing Post Yearling Bonus Scheme is set to be phased out over the coming 12 months.
The launch of Plus 10 was given a significant boost by the inclusion of progeny from some of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s leading sires, including Dubawi, New Approach and Exceed and Excel.
Sheikh Mohammed’s Bloodstock Adviser, John Ferguson, said Darley had welcomed the launch of the new scheme, which recognised the commercial and historic links of the British and Irish bloodstock industries.
“As well as providing welcome prize money bonuses to owners and breeders in Britain and Ireland, Plus 10 also recognises operations like Darley which operate across multiple jurisdictions.
“It enables owners to purchase bloodstock with the knowledge their ownership experience will have the added benefit of racing for Plus 10 bonuses across their two and three-year-old seasons,” Ferguson said.
“We believe Plus 10 will positively impact breeders large and small due to the incentive it offers people to invest in British and Irish bloodstock and by rewarding those who opt to race locally.
“As a mark of our support for Plus 10, Darley has registered 332 foals into the new bonus scheme.”
To be eligible for Plus 10, horses must be the progeny of either a British or Irish-based stallion or mare and take part in a three-stage registration process.
Bonuses won will then be split between the owner of the horse (75%), breeder (20%) and stable staff, jockey and trainer (5%). The 20% breeder share will be split equally between the payees of the Foal and Yearling Registration fees.
The new scheme has the financial backing of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and the major bloodstock sales houses, with a dedicated BHA resource assigned to administer and promote the scheme.
Plus 10 Committee Chairman, Julian Richmond-Watson, described the launch of the scheme as a significant occasion.
“The launch of Plus 10 marks an important development for the British and Irish bloodstock and racing industries,” he said.
“By combining with Ireland we are able to offer larger bonuses, spread across a more targeted cross-section of races and which will, in time, expand to cover both the two and three-year-old racing seasons.
“We would like to also thank the British and Irish racing authorities, the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the bloodstock sales houses for their financial support of Plus 10.
“It has taken a significant amount of work to arrive at this point and we are proud to be able to invite breeders to take the first step on the Plus 10 journey from today.”
Paul Bittar, Chief Executive of BHA, welcomed the announcement, stating: “Plus 10 has been developed with industry support and has been designed to streamline and unify the incentive scheme marketplace.
“We are extremely pleased to be in a position to have launched the scheme within four weeks of receiving confirmation of the main source of funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
“We expect Plus 10 to build upon the success achieved locally with the British Owners and Breeders Incentive Scheme and consider it to be this earlier scheme’s natural evolution.
“Plus 10 allows for more participants, more effective race programming and enhanced bonuses for all involved, on both sides of the Irish Sea and we look forward to working with Horse Racing Ireland for the benefit of all participants in British and Irish racing.”
HRI’s Chief Executive, Brian Kavanagh, said he was delighted to be working in partnership with his British counterparts for the good of the industry.
“Plus 10 recognises the significant links between the Irish and British industries and supports those operations which operate across both countries,” Kavanagh said.
“We envisage Plus 10 will encourage investment in bloodstock, stimulate racehorse ownership and incentivise owners to run their horses more often.
“I would like to encourage all Irish breeders to take part in the new scheme and to register their foals.”
With Plus 10 now open for business, breeders are encouraged to register their foals by 30 September 2014 to ensure their horses are in the running to compete for the bonuses.
To check your horse’s eligibility and to download a registration form, visit plus10bonus.com.
The first opportunity to invest in Plus 10 foals will be at the Doncaster Bloodstock Premier and Silver Sales on August 26-28.
All foals which have been registered by the time of the sale will feature in Plus 10 eligible horse handouts. Breeders are advised to register early to ensure their horse does not miss out on the benefit of being a part of Plus 10.
Notes to editors:
1. Please note the following organisations have made a financial contribution to Plus 10:
- British Horseracing Authority (BHA)
- Horse Racing Ireland (HRI)
- Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB)
- Goffs and Doncaster Bloodstock Sales
- Tattersalls
The Plus 10 Committee received official confirmation from HBLB of their financial support of the new scheme on Friday 27 June, 2014. The sales houses confirmed their financial support to Plus 10 on Tuesday 8 July, 2014.
Registrations are now open and further queries can be directed to Sheena Coffey who can be contacted on +44 (0) 20 7152 0026 or +44 (0) 7587 039 433. Alternatively email [email protected].
For more information, to check a horse’s eligibility, or to download a registration form, visit plus10bonus.com.
2. The following is an outline of the race structure, bonus system and registration process for Plus 10.
Races
In its first year, about 460 two-year-old races in Britain and Ireland will feature a Plus 10 bonus of £10,000 (€12,500).
Bonuses will feature on the the following two-year-old races in 2015.
In Great Britain:
- All class 2-4 maiden races
- All class 2-4 novice races
- All class 2-4 condition races
- All class 5 fillies’ only maiden races
In Ireland:
- All two-year-old, non-black type races (open maiden, auction maiden, median auction maiden, nursery and winners’ races) until all 100 bonuses have been won*
*Note: In the event not all Irish allocated bonuses are won by two-year-olds in 2015, the bonuses will be paid out to eligible winners of three-year-old only maiden races (including median auction maiden races) from the commencement of the 2016 Irish racing season, until all bonuses are won.
Eligibility
To be eligible a horse must be the product of a British or Irish domiciled stallion or mare. To check a horse’s eligibility, visit plus10bonus.com.
Registration and Bonuses Paid
The Plus 10 registration process involves three payment stages which must be made sequentially.
Stage 1: Foal Registration
Pay: Breeder to pay a fee of £150 (€187.50) by 30 September in the foal year.
Benefit: The payee of the Foal Registration fee will receive 10% of any Plus 10 bonuses won.
Stage 2: Yearling Registration
Pay: A registration fee of £200 (€250) to be paid by 15 December in the yearling year.
Benefit: The payee of the Yearling Registration fee will receive 10% of any Plus 10 bonuses won.
Stage 3: Owner Registration
Pay: Owner to pay a fee of £350 (€437.50) by 31 March in the two-year-old season. If an owner pays the owner registration fee before 31 December while the horse is still a yearling, a discount of £50 applies (€62.50).
Benefit: The recorded Owner at the time of the win will receive 75% of any Plus 10 bonuses won.
The balance of 5% of any Plus 10 bonuses won will be paid to the jockey, trainer and stable staff.
There will be transitional arrangements in place for BOBIS registered horses in the first year of operation.
For more information about the bonus scheme, for registration forms and an essential list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit plus10bonus.com.
