News

Owners and Breeders take centre stage at Caulfield Racecourse

13th Apr 2016

Victorian racing fans will be given a unique insight into the thrills of racehorse ownership this Saturday, 16 April, as owners and breeders chase a slice of the $1.5 million in VOBIS prizemoney and bonuses up for grabs at the second annual Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday.

The lucrative meeting is designed to promote racehorse ownership while showcasing the wealth of thoroughbred talented produced within the Victorian breeding industry, highlighted by the running of six races within the VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series. This includes the inaugural editions of the $180,000 VOBIS Gold Distaff (1400m) and the $280,000 VOBIS Gold Heath (2000m).

The six races, collectively totalling $1.48 million in prizemoney and bonuses, are:
• The $180,000 VOBIS Gold Ingot (1200m) for two-year-olds;
• The $280,000 VOBIS Gold Reef (1600m) for three-year-olds;
• The $280,000 VOBIS Gold Sprint (1200m) for three-year-olds and up;
• The $280,000 VOBIS Gold Heath (2000m) for three-year-olds and up;
• The $180,000 VOBIS Gold Distaff (1400m) for three-year-old and up fillies and mares;
• The $280,000 VOBIS Gold Mile (1600m) for four-year-olds and up.

The $80,000 Marathon Series Final (4000m) also offers a $20,000 VOBIS Gold owners bonus.

More than just a race meeting, the event will also showcase breeders, owners (including approved syndicate promoters) and retired racehorses, bringing all aspects of the Victorian thoroughbred industry together.

Racegoers will have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding about thoroughbred ownership ahead of the Inglis VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction on 17 and 18 April, with a range of industry representatives speaking in the Connections Owners’ Pavilion which is open to the public for the afternoon for the first time.

NRL star and Victorian Racehorse Owner Ambassador Billy Slater will be trackside and will take part in an Ownership Q&A on the day.

In addition, 2013 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente will be paraded by Eliza Park International to give fans the opportunity to see the impressive stallion up-close.

Racing Victoria Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, said the unique raceday was a terrific opportunity to showcase the exciting racing talent that continues to emerge from Victoria’s breeding industry.

“The Owners and Breeders raceday is set to return bigger and better than ever this year, hosting an increased six races from the VOBIS Gold Premier Race series including two new races, the VOBIS Gold Distaff and the VOBIS Gold Heath,” Carpenter said.

“Since the inception of the series in 2012/2013 we have witnessed some talented horses emerge through the program, including subsequent Group 1 winners Trust In A Gust and May’s Dream.

“Victoria has a long history of producing champion racehorses, and it’s fantastic that the industry has the opportunity to not only support our owners and breeders, but promote our vibrant thoroughbred racing industry to those interested in the sport, and I urge anyone who is interested in owning a racehorse to head along to Caulfield for what will be a fantastic day of racing.”

Entry to Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday is free for all Victorian Owners’ Gold Card holders as well as with presentation of the Herald Sun lift out on the day which is running in Friday’s edition.

Owners and breeders must first nominate their foals to Super VOBIS to be eligible for the riches of the VOBIS Gold scheme.

VOBIS Gold nominations for 2014-born foals are open until Monday, 1 August 2016. Late nominations for Super VOBIS will close on the same day.

Introduced in 2012, VOBIS Gold is an incentive scheme designed to complement the Super VOBIS incentive scheme and provide owners of horses bred in Victoria with the opportunity to significantly increase their earning potential on the racetrack.

Entry into the VOBIS Gold program is a one-off $1100 (incl GST) and is only available for Super VOBIS nominated and paid-up yearlings.