News
GBBPlus, the innovative extension of the highly successful Great British Bonus (GBB) scheme, has begun issuing its first bonuses. Designed to incentivise and reward the breeding, buying, and racing of British-bred staying fillies and chasing mares, GBBPlus officially launched on 1 January, and within three weeks, it has already awarded two £30,000 bonuses.
The schemes extension, announced last year, represents a significant enhancement to the existing GBB initiative. Under the improved National Hunt (NH) rules, GBBPlus boosts the bonus structure for chases by £10,000 per race and removes the previous all-sex rule. Now, all mares born in Britain and sired by a British-based stallion can compete for bonuses of up to £30,000 in Class 14 weight-for-age (WFA) and handicap chases. Mares by stallions outside Britain remain eligible but receive half the bonus amounts to promote the use of British stallions.
GBBPlus introduces a straightforward 10-20-30 bonus structure with bumpers offering up to £10,000, hurdles up to £20,000, and chases up to £30,000.
Simon Cox, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders Associations (TBA) NH Committee, expressed enthusiasm for the schemes impact:
We were really excited to extend GBB to an area of racing that needs additional support. GBB has already done phenomenal work in raising the value and appeal of British-bred mares, and this extension will only amplify that progress. The number of mares participating in chases has been declining, so we hope the expanded coverage and increased bonus value will encourage owners and trainers to test their mares in these races.
The first £30,000 bonus was awarded to Passing Kate, trained by Matt Sheppard, following her debut chase win at Exeter on 13 January. Owned and bred by David Richards, Passing Kates earnings before the race stood at just over £18,000. Her win at Exeter brought her total earnings to £23,441, with the GBBPlus payout
adding a further £25,500 to her owner-breeders earnings.
The remaining £4,500 was shared between the trainer, jockey, and stable staff.
The second recipient, Telepathique, has an impressive record, with five wins from nine starts and two placings. Trained by Lucy Wadham and owned by Elizabeth Gordon Lennox, Telepathique claimed her GBBPlus bonus after romping to victory in the Class 2 Queen Boudicca Series Final Mares Handicap Chase at Fakenham on 19 January. Her win marked her fourth GBB win with her bonus earnings now stand at £70,000.
On the win, trainer Lucy Wadham said: "Shes a super mare who has done her Owner Breeders, Liz and David, proud. GBB has provided tremendous support for British bred mares like Telepathique, and this bonus is a fantastic reward for her progressive performances. Weve had a few GBB winners in the Yard including Martello Sky, who was one of the early multiple winners when the scheme was first launched. Its a great initiative and makes a massive difference to the mares connections".
Simon Cox added:
Its fantastic to see successes like Telepathique's rewarded through the scheme. With her success on the track, she also qualifies for the HBLB funded Elite Mares Scheme (EMS), another TBA initiative, which offers significant discounts on covering fees, further supporting her future potential. An important part of the TBAs work is ensuring that committed breeders and owner-breeders have the opportunity to see returns, which is essential for making British National Hunt breeding more sustainable in the long term GBB, GBBPlus and the EMS are just some of the tools were using to do that.
While National Hunt mares have claimed the first GBBPlus bonuses, anticipation is high for British-bred flat staying fillies as the flat racing programme gets underway later this year. With its expanded structure into Handicaps and Listed Races and increased incentives of up to £40,000 in Maiden, Novices and Conditions, GBBPlus promises to further elevate the appeal of British-bred fillies across both codes.