News

Big Boost for Victorian Breeders

2nd Oct 2015

Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria - Friday, 2nd October 2015

Victorian breeders are the winners following the announcement yesterday of the $1.5m VOBIS Sires program, a significant addition to the Victorian Owners and Breeders Incentive Scheme (VOBIS).

VOBIS Sires was jointly announced by Racing Victoria and Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria (TBV) at the Liston Family's Three Bridges Thoroughbreds at Eddington.

Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria President, James O'Brien, said VOBIS Sires was a proposal originally put to Racing Victoria by TBV and has been jointly worked through and agreed to over recent months.

"VOBIS Sires is squarely aimed at increasing demand for Victorian sired racehorses by retaining and attracting quality stallions here in Victoria. It is in addition to Super VOBIS and VOBIS Gold which provide $20 million annually in prizemoney and bonuses,"

Mr O'Brien said. VOBIS Sires will principally involve two lucrative races:

a $1 million 2YO race over 1200m to be run for the first time in Autumn 2019; and

a $500,000 3YO race over 1600 metres to be run for the first time in Autumn 2020.

To be eligible to enter VOBIS Sires races, a racehorse must be the progeny of a VOBIS Sires nominated stallion standing in Victoria.

Racing Victoria CEO, Bernard Saundry said the Victorian breeding industry would benefit significantly from the announcement.

"The VOBIS program, through Super VOBIS and VOBIS Gold, has served to both enhance the value of eligible horses in the sales ring and reward owners with prize money and bonuses.

VOBIS Sires is the next progression to ensure our breeding industry remains strong, viable and competitive," Mr Saundry said.

Notes: Established in 1996, Super VOBIS is an incentive scheme offering annual bonuses of up to $12.5 million across 800 two and three-year-old races held in Victoria. It is paid for by breeder nominations and Racing Victoria.

VOBIS Gold was introduced in 2012 to complement Super VOBIS. Eligible horses compete for $20,000 bonuses across approximately 250 races annually for all ages of horses. It is paid for by owner nominations and the State Government. It also involves the $2.81 million VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series – a collection of 15 races exclusively for VG nominated horses.

Victorian-based stallions only may be nominated to VOBIS Sires. The entry fee, paid by the stallion owner, is via an annual payment of the stallion’s advertised service fee (inc GST).

Once a stallion is nominated each season to VOBIS Sires, all of his progeny in that covering season are eligible for the riches of VOBIS Sires when they reach racing age. To be eligible for VOBIS Sires, a racehorse must also be nominated to Super VOBIS and VOBIS Gold.