ITBA NH fillies bonus scheme celebrates ten years with massive increase

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association has announced a substantial increase to the National Hunt fillies' bonus scheme for Irish-bred fillies which will now be €7,500 from January 1, 2024, a rise of 50 per cent on the current level. 

Since its launch ten years ago, the Weatherbys ITBA scheme has been applied to the winners of mares only bumpers, maiden hurdles and beginners' chases and affording owners the opportunity to win an additional €15,000 in deduction free prize-money if their mare is eligible for the scheme. In the years of its existence over €3m in bonus payments have been awarded.

The objective of the scheme was to encourage people to buy fillies at the store sales and to incentivise owner-breeders to put fillies in to training. Over the last decade the scheme has been widely acknowledged as a success with a market for National Hunt fillies now firmly established at the sales and a pathway for fillies to be proven on the track.

ITBA National Hunt committee chairman William Flood said: “The scheme has proven to be a great success for the sector, and we are very pleased with how the scheme has continued to strengthen over the last 10 years. Our National Hunt committee has worked tirelessly to improve and further develop the scheme, and we are delighted to be able to offer this increased bonus to reward our Irish breeders and owners. This offers support at the grassroots level of our industry.”

John Osborne of HRI added: “The National Hunt fillies bonus scheme has been instrumental in making fillies and mares races the attraction they are. The strength of our National Hunt breeding sector is measured by the quality of our mares so we want to continue to support these initiatives."

Applications for the 2024 scheme are open until the end of this month. To be eligible a filly has to be three years old or more and be unraced under rules. The entry fee is €200 and for further information on the scheme, contact Danielle Deveney of the ITBA at ddeveney@itba.com or on 045 877 543 or 087 428 38 44.

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