• Scheme to provide £20,000 credit to winning owners of Grade 1 Chase and Hurdle races to use towards training fees of a new British-trained horse
• Runners-up in same races to receive £10,000 credit
• New investment is part of a wider package of measures introduced to ensure more quality horses are bred, trained and raced in Britain

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today announced the introduction of an innovative new Training Fees Credit Scheme that will see winning and runner-up owners in Grade 1 Chase and Hurdle races in March and April each year receive credits to be redeemed against the training fees of a new horse trained in Britain.

The scheme is designed to encourage the ownership and training of Jump horses in Britain by both domestic and international owners and, along with other initiatives, to seek to arrest the decline in the number of highly-rated Jumps horses in training.

With funding totalling £760,000 provided by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), the bonus will apply to all Grade 1 Hurdle and Chase races in Britain in March and April and will reward the owners of winning horses with a £20,000 credit.

A £10,000 credit will also be awarded to the owners of the runner-up in the same races.

Owners will be able to redeem their credits against the training fees of any Jumps horse that has not previously been in training in Britain, with any licensed British-based trainer from 1 September in the calendar year in which it was won.

Full details of how the scheme will be administered can be found here.

This investment is one part of a wider package of measures introduced to encourage the breeding, owning and training of quality horses in Britain. This has also included a £3.2m increase in prize money in developmental races spread across both codes, as well as extending the Elite National Hunt Mares’ Scheme and the introduction of the GB Pointing Bonus. A working group, with members from across the sport, is continuing to work on plans to strengthen the quality of racing in Britain, both over Jumps and on the Flat.

The goal is to incentivise a greater number of high-quality horses to be developed in this country and ultimately to compete at Britain’s flagship meetings, thus enhancing domestic competition for British fans and betting customers worldwide.

Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing, said: “We are delighted to be able to introduce the Training Fees Credit Scheme at this pivotal stage of the season, with the Cheltenham Festival almost here and Aintree’s Grand National Festival not far behind.

“The Training Fees Credit Scheme is a targeted initiative to support our world-class pool of trainers here in Britain, incentivising owners to base their next talented recruit on these shores, while also opening up the opportunity for new relationships to be formed between trainers and owners who are yet to have a horse in Britain.

“We are very grateful for the support of the Levy Board and also DCMS, who approved the new scheme. This initiative is an expression of confidence in the quality of British trainers and their ability to ensure that horses in their care can achieve their full potential.

“This announcement sits as part of a number of measures introduced over recent months aimed at ensuring that the best Jumps horses are bred, trained and raced in Britain. From enhanced prize money and investment in developmental races to the creation of the GB Pointing Bonus and an extension of the existing Elite Mares Scheme to support National Hunt breeders, we are working hard across the industry to ensure Jumps racing remains at the level our customers, and racing fans up and down the country, want and expect.”

HBLB Chief Executive Alan Delmonte said: “The Board is very pleased to be providing funds for this innovation for Jump racing that provides a direct incentive to owners to have a new horse in training in Britain. Funding for the scheme is part of a £4.4m increase in HBLB prize money funding in 2026, to add to a £4m increase in 2025.”

Paul Johnson, Chief Executive of the National Trainers Federation, said: “With the number of higher quality horses based in Britain falling in recent years, we are very pleased to see this scheme rolled out. This is one of a number of changes that have been made in the last year that seek to reverse this concerning trend and we hope to see some horses that have potential based here as a result.”

Louise Norman, Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association, said: “This is an initiative that recognises the role owners play in sustaining the quality of British racing. Encouraging the purchase and training of new horses in Britain supports both our training base and the wider breeding industry, and forms part of the broader effort across the sport to retain and develop high-quality Jump horses within Britain.

“There are competing priorities across the ownership audience, and we must continuously look at ways of increasing engagement with British racing, reversing the racing and breeding challenges that are present in order to create a balanced and relevant eco system to support all owners currently involved whilst making the sport attractive for owners of the future.”

Notes to editors:

1. The full terms and conditions of the Training Fees Credit Scheme can be read here.

2. The qualifying Grade 1 races are:

• Hurdle Races
  • SkyBet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – 10 March, Cheltenham
  • Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy – 10 March, Cheltenham
  • Turners Novices’ Hurdle – 11 March, Cheltenham
  • Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – 12 March, Cheltenham
  • Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle – 12 March, Cheltenham
  • JCB Triumph Hurdle – 13 March, Cheltenham
  • Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – 13 March, Cheltenham
  • Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle – 9 April, Aintree
  • William Hill Aintree Hurdle – 9 April, Aintree
  • Top Novices’ Hurdle – 10 April, Aintree
  • Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle – 10 April, Aintree
  • Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle – 11 April, Aintree
  • Liverpool Hurdle – 11 April, Aintree
• Chase Races
  • Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase – 10 March, Cheltenham
  • Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – 11 March, Cheltenham
  • BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase – 11 March, Cheltenham
  • Ryanair Chase – 12 March, Cheltenham
  • Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase – 13 March, Cheltenham
  • William Hill Manifesto Novices’ Chase – 9 April, Aintree
  • Aintree Bowl Chase – 9 April, Aintree
  • Mildmay Novices’ Chase – 10 April, Aintree
  • JCB Melling Chase – 10 April, Aintree
  • Hallgarten & Novum Wines Maghull Novices’ Chase – 11 April, Aintree
  • Bet365 Celebration Chase – 25 April, Sandown Park

3. The number of chasers and hurdlers with an Anglo-Irish Classification rating of 150+ by season and country: