What needs to happen for my horse to be eligible for the Breeders Crown?
A horse bred anywhere in the world can be made eligible for the Breeders Crown, providing the relevant fee schedule is followed.
Stallion Nominations - 1 October
Foal Nominations - 1 August 2024 (starting with horses eligible for series 29)
Yearling or Series Nominations - 1 August 2024
Age Acceptances - 1 August 2024
Stallion Nominations
Studs are required to nominate their stallions for the Breeders Crown if they wish for foal owners to be eligible for reduced Foal Nomination fees.
This nomination is due by 1 October of the foaling year and the relevant charges are invoiced to the stud the following year.
In any Breeders Crown Final, the 'Stallion Nominator' will receive 5% of the prizemoney won by any horse for which they have paid the relevant stallion nomination.
The following fee structure applies:
For stallions registered and standing in Australia or New Zealand for the relevant season:
a. For live foals born in Australia = $A24.20 (includes GST) for each live foal
b. For live foals born in New Zealand = $A22 for each live foal
For stallions registered and standing in the Northern Hemisphere for the relevant season:
Pacing Stallions:
a. A pacing stallion who has 1-16 live foals = $A330 (includes GST) for each live foal
b. A pacing stallion who has 17+ live foals = $A5,500 (includes GST) flat fee
Trotting Stallions:
a. A trotting stallion who has 1-27 live foals = $A198 (includes GST) for each live foal
b. A trotting stallion who has 28+ live foals = $A5,500 (includes GST) flat fee
Foal Nominations
Foal nominations are due by 1 August 2024 for horses born from 1 September 2023 onwards.
The following fees apply:
a. If the foal is by a Breeders Crown Eligible Stallion = $A38.50 (includes GST) per mare
b. If the foal is by a non Breeders Crown Eligible Pacing Stallion = $A330 (includes GST) per mare
c. If the foal is by a non Breeders Crown Eligible Trotting Stallion = $A198 (includes GST) per mare
After the 1st of August, late fees are will be applied. Contact HRV Futurities to confirm applicable fee.
Yearling or Series Nominations
Yearling (or Series) nominations are due by 1 August when your horse is a yearling. You must nominate your horse to remain in the series.
The fee to nominate one yearling is $A253.
You may elect at this stage to pay a Series Fee instead of a Yearling Fee.
A Series Fee costs $A704 per horse and replaces the Yearling Fee ($A253), 2YO Age Acceptance Fee ($A451) & 3YO Age Acceptance Fees ($A451) - representing a saving of $A451.
Age Acceptances
Age Acceptances invoices are raised on 1st June and payment is due by 1st August. These apply to 2YOs and 3YOs.
If you paid a Series Fee as a yearling, then you do not need to pay any Age Acceptance Fees.
If you did not pay a Series Fee as a yearling you will need to pay Age Acceptance Fees to remain eligible to compete in the Breeders Crown race series.
An Age Acceptance Fee costs $A451 for one year.
If you choose to not make your horse eligible for their 2YO season you can still pay up for their 3YO season.
Breeders Crown Graduate Races
A horse will be eligible to contest these Breeders Crown Graduate Races providing a Breeders Crown Yearling Nomination or Series Nomination was paid as a yearling.
What needs to happen for my horse to be Vicbred eligible?
If your mare is served by a stallion who is standing in Victoria, South Australia or Tasmania during the relevant breeding season either of these two options can apply:
- If your foal is notified to Victoria (HRV) it will automatically be nominated for Vicbred
- If your foal is notified outside of Victoria (not to HRV) you will need to lodge the Vicbred Eligibility Coupon (Found on the bottom of your service certificate) with HRV.
You’ll be charged $220 which is the price of a foal notification in Victoria.
Coupons must be received by HRV no later than the 1st of May immediately following your foal’s birth.
Definition:
A ‘Vicbred stallion’ is a stallion that is physically standing in Victoria, South Australia or Tasmania during the relevant breeding season.
A stallion for which you have imported semen – even if purchased through a Victorian, South Australian or Tasmanian stud – will not be considered as a Vicbred stallion.
The ‘Foal Nominator’ is the person who owns the mare at the time of foaling.
If your mare is not served by a Vicbred Stallion, she must be inseminated in and foal in one of those states and her foal must be notified to HRV. The fee for this scenario varies as below:
- $220 for sires based elsewhere in Australia, Canada or Europe, and USA trotting stallions.
- $332 for USA based pacing stallions.
If your mare is not located in Victoria, South Australia or Tasmania and you don’t breed her to a sire based in one of those states, you are unable to make the resultant foal Vicbred eligible.
There are no yearling fees under the Vicbred program.
A 2YO age acceptance fee of $220 will be invoiced on the 1st of December (one month before your horse becomes a 2YO for racing purposes). At this point you may instead choose to pay a higher fee of $440 which will make your horse eligible for its 2YO, 3YO & 4YO seasons.
If you don’t choose to pay the $440 as a 2YO, you’ll need to pay $220 for each age acceptance thereafter ($660 total cost to be paid up as a 2YO, 3YO & 4YO).
If you don’t contact HRV prior to the 1st of December to accept (age or series) you’ll automatically be invoiced for the relevant $220 age acceptance fee. If you fail to pay the invoice by the 1st of February your horse will automatically be withdrawn and will no longer be Vicbred eligible for that season.
If for some reason you miss the deadline but still want your horse to be Vicbred eligible, the following late fee structure applies:
- Payments received from February 2nd - June 7th: $440 for a single year acceptance
- Payments received from June 8th - September 8th: 3% of respective gaits final prizemoney for a single year acceptance
- Payments received from September 9th: 4% of respective gaits final prizemoney for a single year acceptance
Vicbred First Win Bonuses are only payable where payment has been received and processed and may not be backdated.
If you don’t choose to make your horse eligible for their 2YO season you can still pay up for their 3YO or 4YO seasons.
What needs to happen for my horse to be Vicbred Platinum eligible?
In order to be eligible for the Vicbred Platinum program, your horse needs to meet the standard Vicbred criteria and also have a Victorian freeze brand.
The first symbol of a standardbred freeze brand is an 'S'.
The next symbol represents the branding state.
A Victorian freeze brand is distinguishable by a number '3' as the second symbol - represented as an upward arrow. (See picture on the right)
The other states are represented by the following numbers:
NSW = 2
QLD = 4
SA = 5
WA = 6
TAS = 7
The next two symbols represent the year the horse was born.
Looking at the brand in the photo we can tell that the horse was born in 2012.
The bottom row of four symbols represent the horse's registered number.
Brands are generally located on the off-side of a horse's neck.
Vicbred Racing Eligibility
A Vicbred 2YO, 3YO or 4YO horse will be eligible to run in any Vicbred race or win any Vicbred bonus in a season if either:
(a) a Series Fee was paid on 1 January when it turned two years of age
or
(b) an Age Acceptance fee was paid for the relevant season.
A Vicbred horse 5YO or older may contest Vicbred races for which they are eligible irrespective of whether or not an Age Acceptance Fee was paid as a 2YO, 3YO or 4YO.