Purchasers of Vicbred horses at this weekend’s Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction will be eligible for a range of rich incentives should their purchase win as a two, three or four-year-old in Victoria.
The richest futurity scheme in Australia, the Vicbred program comprises three levels of incentives and race series for eligible pacers and trotters – Pure, Platinum and Basic - and is designed to reward breeders and owners of Victorian-bred horses.
Vicbred first win bonuses are paid to the connections of a Vicbred eligible horse’s first win in a career or metropolitan race (stakemoney of $4,501 or more) as a two, three or four-year-old in Victoria.
Vicbred Pure – the top tier of the scheme - offers up to $12,000 in first win bonuses for owners on top of the basic prizemoney for a horse winning its maiden Vicbred or Vicbred Platinum race. Only horses out of a Victorian mare and by an Australasian-bred sire who is physically standing in Victoria are eligible for the Vicbred Pure Series.
The Vicbred Platinum Series, for progeny of a mare who is inseminated and foals in Victoria, carries $9,000 in first win bonuses. They can compete in races totalling $850,000 in prizemoney including the Vicbred Super Series, Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic, Vicbred Platinum Mares Sprint Championship and Vicbred Platinum Metropolitan Bonus Races.
Vicbred Basic offers $8,000 first win bonuses for two, three or four-year-olds and $4,500 bonuses for five year-olds and older horses. They are eligible to contest the rich Vicbred Super Series comprising Group 1, Silver and Bronze divisions each season as well as exclusive race programming across the whole season for Vicbred only horses.
More than $1million in bonuses every year is paid out to owners and breeders of Vicbred eligible pacers and trotters.
The increased Vicbred bonuses apply to foals born in the 2021/22 breeding season and onwards.
Vicbred horses are eligible for the Vicbred Super Series finals carrying prizemoney of $150,000 for pacers and $100,000 for trotters of both sexes across the three age groups.
Pacing graduates of the Nutrien Sale will also be eligible to contest a gender-specific Sales Series Final of $175,000 as two-year-olds and $100,000 as three-year-olds, while trotting graduates will compete for finals worth $62,500 as two-year-olds and $125,000 as three-year-olds.
“HRV is pleased to have been supporting breeders for many years with these breeders bonuses. It speaks to the multi-faceted Vicbred program for which eligibility is so sought after by breeders and owners,” Harness Racing Victoria’s Chief Commercial Officer Fiona Mellor said.
The Vicbred scheme has produced some of the all-time greats including Lochinvar Art, Honolua Bay, Catch A Wave, Poster Boy, Shakamaker, Lennytheshark, Lombo Pocket Watch, Bag Limit and trotters La Coocaracha, Noopy Kiosk, Wagon Apollo, Spidergirl and Claudy’s Princess.
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.