Entain/HRNZ Two-year-old Bonus Scheme - Condition Amendments

Some key amendments have been approved for the newly-introduced Two-Year-Old Bonus Scheme (TYOBS), effective April 1, 2024.

The original Entain/HRNZ scheme came into force on January 1, 2024. It stipulated that 2YOs would only race against their own age group, and not in ratings races, with a $12,000 bonus going to the owner(s) ($8000) and breeder (s)($4000) of any 2YO winning its first race.

"We have reviewed that and after taking into account some industry feedback we acknowledge that there are improvements we can make to the scheme that will make it more equitable," says HRNZ Handicapper Andrew Morris.

Any 2YO claiming its first win in a 2YO-only race will continue to get the $12,000.

However the latest changes mean that if there are insufficient starters in a 2YO race (four acceptors or less) then those accepted non-win 2YOs will have the right to transfer to an open-age non-win race. Should a 2YO win the open-age non-win race it will receive a half bonus of $6,000.

A non-winning 2YO running second in a 2YO only totalisator race to a horse that has previously won a TYOBS bonus will also earn a half bonus ($6,000).

In both of the above instances, the connections will receive the "other" $6000 if that horse subsequently wins a 2YO only totalisator race.

The $6,000 half bonus will see a $4,000 payment to the registered owner(s), and a $2,000 payment to the registered breeder(s). Payments to be made on the 20th of the following month.

"It became clear to us that changes were needed as under the initial conditions some two-year-olds were going to be disadvantaged," says Morris, "and that was specifically those two-year-olds located away from the main metropolitan areas, especially trotters, where there are fewer numbers to create two-year-old only races."

"The key objective remains to encourage two-year-olds to race and for two-year-olds to race against their own age group."

Official conditions for the TYOBS will be updated and published by March 1 2024, with an effective start date of April 1, 2024.

A further review of the TYOBS will be conducted in June 2024

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