What are Owners' Premiums?
BHB Owners' Premiums have been paid since the start of 2004 to the owners of eligible and registered British-bred horses as a premium on prize money won in Britain. In 2004 over £1m was paid in Owners' Premiums.
In time, the Scheme will see payments made in many types of races to two, three and four-year-olds running on the Flat and to horses of all ages in National Hunt (Jump) racing.
The Scheme was introduced as one of the recommendations of the Racing Review (published in 2003) and was seen as a way of increasing the demand for British-bred thoroughbreds at sales, encouraging the patronage of British-based sires, supporting National Hunt (Jump) racing, and levelling the playing field for British breeders with the likes of their Irish and French counterparts.
What is an eligible horse?
A horse must meet the following criteria to be eligible:
- Be by a British-based stallion (ie the sire was based
in Great Britain at the time of covering).
- Be out of a mare ordinarily resident in Great Britain.
- Be foaled in Great Britain and have not left Great Britain
before 1st October in its foal year (except that it may
have accompanied its dam to a stallion outside Great Britain,
provided that it returned to GB with its dam by 1st October
or, if the dam died overseas, returned alone to Great Britain
by such date).
Or
If foaled outside Great Britain, must
have returned to Great Britain with its dam by October 1st
of its year of birth or, if the dam died overseas, returned
alone to Great Britain by the same date.
- Been resident in Great Britain between 1st October of
its foal year and 1st June of its yearling year, EXCEPT
where a horse is sold under the hammer as a foal at a sale
in Great Britain at Tattersalls Ltd, Doncaster Bloodstock
Sales Ltd or Brightwells Ltd from 2003 onwards and exported,
in which case the horse needs to be resident in Great Britain
between 1st October of its foal year and the date of sale.
- Was born on or after 1st January 2002 in order to qualify
for Owners' Premiums for Flat races OR Was born on or after
1st January 1999 and unraced on the Flat or National Hunt
as at 1st May 2003 in order to qualify for Owners' Premiums
for National Hunt races.
- Have been registered for the BHB Owners' Premium Scheme
with the British Horseracing Board by 31st December of its
yearling year.
*Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales
A horse must meet all six of the above criteria if it is to be eligible for
Owners' Premiums.
What payments will be made to qualified horses in
2005?
The revised terms of the Scheme are that a 5% premium on the
win and placed prize money due under Order 194, up to a maximum
payment per race of £5,000 for a winner and £2,000
for a placed horse, will be made to eligible horses in the
following races during 2005:
Flat:
Two and three year olds in all Class 1 to 4 races and in Class
5 Maiden and Novice races. Prior to 26th March, when the Flat
Classification System was revised, two and three year olds
in all Class 1 to 3 races and in Class 4 Maiden and Novice
races.
Jump:
Horses from three to six years old in all Class A to D races,
all Class E Novice, Maiden and Beginners’ Steeple Chases
and Novice and Maiden Hurdle races, and all National Hunt
Flat races. For fillies and mares, a 10% premium of the win
and placed prize money, up to the maximum payments stated
above, will be paid.
What payments will be made in future years?
In 2006, eligible two, three and four year olds will be entitled to
Owners' Premiums on the Flat, and eligible three, four,
five, six and seven year olds will be entitled for National Hunt
(Jumps).
In 2007, eligible two, three and four year olds will be entitled to
Owners' Premiums on the Flat, and eligible three, four,
five, six, seven and eight year olds will be entitled for National
Hunt (Jumps).
From 2008 onwards, premiums will be payable to eligible two,
three and four year olds only on the Flat, but the age band
will continue to expand year by year for National Hunt racing,
with no limit, so that (for example) in 2008 eligible three,
four, five, six, seven, eight and nine year olds will be entitled
to premiums, and so on.
Full terms and conditions of the Scheme, including the
full rules relating to eligibility, are set out in The Orders
and Rules of Racing (Order 197 and Instruction J20). As such
Orders and Rules may be amended from time to time (as notified
in The Racing Calendar) those wishing to buy, sell or race
horses which may be eligible for the Scheme are advised to
read the Scheme rules.
Breeders and purchasers should note that the Scheme may be withdrawn by the BHB at any time, normally on three months notice.
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