News

Record VOBIS increases for 2016-2017

17th Jun 2016

Racing Victoria - Media Release - Friday, 17 June 2016

Racing Victoria (RV) has today announced further enhancements to Victoria’s lucrative owners’ and breeders’ incentive scheme, VOBIS, for the 2016-17 racing season, headlined by a major boost to Super VOBIS bonuses.

The highlights of the 2016-17 VOBIS program, effective from 1 August 2016, are as follows;

Super VOBIS bonuses have increased by $1.8 million - the first increase since 2007;

Super VOBIS bonuses on two and three-year-old races at country TAB meetings have increased from $9,000 to $12,000, while they have been lifted from $10,000 to $15,000 per race on all two and three-year-old mid-week metropolitan races;

The prestigious VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series will offer over $2.8 million in prizemoney and bonuses to eligible horses across 15 races (nine metropolitan and six country);

The third annual Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday will be held at Caulfield on Saturday, 22 April 2017, with six VOBIS Gold Premier Races headlining a nine race program; and

A total of $5 million in VOBIS Gold bonuses will be on offer with 250 bonus races programmed across a variety of tracks and classes with the inclusion of six-year-olds for the first time.

The program announcements follow last week’s $130,000 VOBIS Gold Elvstroem Classic (1300m) at Swan Hill, the second last leg of the 2015-16 VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series.

Coinciding with today’s announcement is the opening of VOBIS Gold nominations for 2014-born horses, a timely reminder to all owners to ensure they enter their eligible horses by the 31 August 2016 deadline for a fee of $1100.

Nomination to the VOBIS Gold program – which is supported by the State Government’s Victorian Racing Industry Fund (VRIF) – ensures that horses are eligible to compete in the Premier Race Series and also for lucrative bonuses throughout their entire racing careers.

RV Chief Executive, Bernard Saundry, said the boost to Super VOBIS bonuses reflected the wider industry’s continued support of the VOBIS program and recognition of its value to owners and breeders in Victoria.

“A key objective for the industry is to promote ownership and breeding growth in this state as well as maximising returns for our key customers - our owners,” Mr Saundry said.

“This is the first increase in bonuses for the scheme in almost a decade and reaffirms our unique VOBIS program as Australia’s premier breeding and racing scheme.”

Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Association (TROA) Chairman, Jonathan Munz, said; "TROA has been advocating strongly for increases to Super VOBIS owners bonus amounts so we are pleased that Racing Victoria has introduced increases in those bonuses for country and midweek races,” he said.

“These increased bonuses will be welcomed by the many owners of VOBIS horses.”

Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria (TBV) President, James O’Brien, said; “This announcement is great news for Victorian breeders and further demonstrates the advantage of breeding, buying and owning a Victorian bred racehorse,” he said.

“Super VOBIS, now joined by VOBIS Gold, is quite simply the world’s best incentive scheme. It provides enormous returns to breeders, trainers and owners and today’s announcement only increases these benefits.

Nominations for VOBIS Gold close on Wednesday, 31 August 2016. Horses must be entered for Super VOBIS to nominate for the VOBIS Gold program, with late nominations for Super VOBIS horses taken up until 31 August, 2016 for an additional fee.

Owners, breeders and trainers should visit owner.racing.com for further information about VOBIS and the VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series.

The final race in this year’s VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series, the VOBIS Gold Stayers (2400m) will be held at Caulfield on 30 July, 2016 offering $150,000 in prizemoney and an additional $30,000 as a Super VOBIS bonus.