Frequently Asked Questions

The Great British Bonus (GBB) is an industry-wide prize scheme for breeders and owners of British-bred Flat and Jump fillies. Owners, breeders and winning connections of each horse can win up to £20,000 per eligible race.

The number of eligible races in 2021 is likely to be over 2,500, of which over 400 are fillies or mares races offering maximum bonuses of £20,000. The number of eligible races will rise still further in 2022 when the first 3YOs that were directly nominated to GBB race, in which case the total number of eligible races will be over 3,000, of which over 500 will offer £20,000 bonuses.

The Great British Bonus is predominantly funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and registration fee income from owners and breeders.

By offering large bonuses on top of race prize money, the Great British Bonus scheme is intended to incentivise owners to invest in British-bred fillies and support the British racing programme, on the Flat and for Jumps. It also aims to improve the demand for British-bred fillies at the sales and ensure that more fillies are tested as racehorses, thus underpinning selection for breeding on the basis of racing ability.

The Great British Bonus scheme is an industry initiative, where an element of self-funding is integral. The larger bonuses available to owners and breeders of qualified fillies would not be possible without an element of self-help.

The scheme is open to GB-bred fillies on the Flat and Jumps who qualify under the following categories: 100% GBB: Foals born in GB sired by a stallion standing in GB or 50% GBB: Foals born in GB sired by a stallion standing abroad

You can visit greatbritishbonus.co.uk for further information on eligibility or use the helpline number listed on the website.

Depending on eligibility, bonuses are awarded as follows:

100% GBB Flat filly:

• £20,000 bonus: specified fillies-only Flat races
• £10,000 bonus: specified Flat races open to both sexes

100% GBB Jumps:

• £20,000 bonus: specified mares-only Hurdles and Chases
• £10,000 bonus: specified Hurdles and Chases open to both sexes
• £10,000 bonus: specified mares-only NH Flat races
• £5,000 bonus: specified NH Flat races open to both sexes

For a 50% Great British Bonus filly, bonuses of 50% of the above level are payable. In the event of a dead heat or a divided race, the full appropriate bonuses will be payable to each winning horse.

Yes. A qualified filly can win multiple bonuses in eligible races.

Bonuses are paid in the following proportions:

• 65% to the registered owner at the time of the fillys win
• 10% to the registered breeder of the foal
• 10% to the registered owner at the time the yearling registration fee was paid
• 7.5% to the trainer
• 5% to the jockey
• 2.5% to the stable staff

Bonuses for owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff will be paid via Weatherbys, directly into relevant BHA invoice account or Weatherbys bank account. For the payment of bonuses to breeders and yearling registered owners (with General Stud Book), Weatherbys will contact those concerned to confirm payment details required.

Weatherbys will pay the current listed racing owner, which is not necessarily the legal owner of the filly. If a legal owner wishes to receive any bonus, this would have to be arranged between the lessor and lessee in a separate agreement. required.

For the crop of 2019 onwards, bonuses can be won by eligible fillies in the following Weight for Age races:

• 2YO All Class 2, 3, 4 and 5 Maiden, Novice and Conditions fillies only and Open races for 2YO and 2YO & above.
• 3YO All Class 2, 3, 4 and 5 Maiden, Novice and Conditions fillies only and Open races for 3YO and 3YO & above.

Note: Open, Auction and Median Auction races are included. For the 2018 crop, bonuses can be won in three-year-old only races restricted to fillies and qualifying for Plus10 bonuses. Selling and Claiming races are excluded. This applies to both age groups. required.

The split is determined by the type of races being supported by the Great British Bonus Scheme. As it applies only to Maiden, Novice and Conditions races, the existing race programme is the driving force.

There are two principal reasons for their exclusion. First, it is not possible financially to support a greater number of races. Targeting a smaller but still substantial number allows the scheme to offer large bonuses that will attract the attention of potential owners of registered fillies. Second, the races selected must be such as to support the HBLBs objective of the improvement of breeds. The races chosen are considered most likely to be won by the produce of breeders seeking to breed quality stock.

The TBA and the British Horseracing Authority have worked hard in recent years to improve the fillies-only race programme to provide greater opportunities for filly foals. While it is appropriate to reward wins by fillies in races open to both sexes, it is important not to take actions that might undermine the fillies-only programme. This is why these races will carry bigger bonuses.

No. The reason for this is that funding is necessarily limited, and the BHA and TBA believe there are already adequate incentives in place for Flat fillies to run in these races.

The Great British Bonus scheme is based on the same principles as apply to Flat fillies and has replaced NH MOPS, which offered smaller incentives in fewer races. GBB bonuses are available to qualified NH mares up to and including the age of 8.

Bonuses for winning the same eligible race are twice as big for 100% GBB fillies. In addition, many more races, including events open to both sexes, are eligible for the bonuses; the breeder and the person paying the yearling nomination will receive part of the bonus and there is no deduction for field sizes of fewer than eight runners.

Weight for Age and Handicap races, both mares-only and open to both sexes, in the following categories:

• Class 1-5: Standard NH Flat races
• Class 1, 2, 3 & 4: Juvenile, Novice and Maiden Hurdles
• Class 1, 2, 3 & 4: Novice and Beginner Chases
• Class 1 & 2: Hurdles not restricted to Juveniles, Novices and Maidens
• Class 1 & 2: Chases not restricted to Juveniles, Novices and Maidens

Mares-only Hurdles and Chases will carry bonuses of £20,000 for 100% GBB fillies; Hurdles and Chases open to both sexes will carry bonuses of £10,000. NH Flat races will carry bonuses of half these levels (that is, £10,000 for mares-only races and £5,000 for races open to both sexes)

There are three registration stages for a filly to qualify for Flat-race bonuses; as a foal, as a yearling and as a two-year-old.

For fillies to qualify for Flat-race bonuses, the following dates must be met:

• Stage 1 Foal registration due by 30 September in the foal year
• Stage 2 Yearling registration due by 31 May in the yearling year
• Stage 3 Owner registration due by 28 February in the 2YO year

The following fees are required to be fully paid by the dates specified above:

• Foal registration £200 for TBA members, £400 for non-TBA members*
• Yearling registration £200
• Owner registration £350

Fillies born between 2013 and 2018 and registered for NH MOPS have been marked as fully qualified that is, all stages marked as paid. Foal and yearling stages for all foals between 2013 and 2018 will have the breeder marked as the payee in GBB. No late registrations to GBB are possible. Foals of 2019 must have already been registered for the foal and yearling stages as previously advertised. Foals of 2020 must have already been registered for the foal stage as previously advertised. The deadlines for further registrations for these crops and for the foal crop of 2021 are detailed in the table below. Again, no late registrations are possible.

• Stage 1 Foal registration due by 30 September in the foal year
• Stage 2 Yearling registration due by 31 May in the yearling year
• Stage 3 Owner registration due by 31 August in the 3YO year

The following fees must be paid in full by the dates specified above:

• Foal registration £200 for TBA members, £400 for non-TBA members*
• Yearling registration £200
• Owner registration £350

Registration will be available at greatbritishbonus.co.uk when the registration period opens.

Yes. A filly can be registered for both the Flat and Jumps elements Great British Bonus FAQs of the Great British Bonus. However, registration for one does not qualify the filly for the other; two separate foal, yearling and ownership registrations have to be paid. The second fee for both foal and yearling nominations will be discounted by £50. However, the above closing dates will still apply, except that the Jumps ownership registration must be made before the filly first races in any race under the Rules of Racing (Flat and Jumps). A filly that has raced under the Rules of Racing cannot be registered for the Jumps ownership stage, but can still win prizes for the nominators at the first two stages.

When a registration stage has closed, it is not possible to pay the registration fee retrospectively. However, if the horse does win a GBB race, you will receive the proportion of the bonus owed to the registration stage that you have paid.

You will receive a bonus prize for Stage 2 if you are the registered Stud Book owner at the time the Stage 2 registration is made. If you are not the registered General Stud Book owner, then, although you have paid to register the horse for Stage 2, the bonus will be paid to the registered General Stud Book owner. If you are the new owner of the horse but have not updated the ownership of the horse with the General Stud Book, there is an opportunity to do this while registering the horse for Stage 2 of GBB. This will ensure that you receive the Stage 2 portion of any bonus prizes won by the horse.

Yes. The people who pay for the relevant earlier stages (foal and yearling) will still be eligible for the appropriate share of any bonus if the filly wins a bonus race.

No.

Yes. The breeder may pay for the yearling registration earlier than the closing date, so long as they still own the foal at that time. It will not be possible for them to pay for such registrations after the foal is sold.

You can visit greatbritishbonus.co.uk to check the eligibility.

No. It is not possible to enter any filly after 28 February in its two-year-old year. To enter or not is a decision that the owner of the breeze up filly must make at the 2YO closing date. If a filly is sold with a paid-up owners registration, the person selling her can expect to see an uplift in her value in the sale ring, and he/she will benefit from appropriate bonuses if he/she is the Yearling Nominator (see below).

Yes. If the filly has been bought with a foal registration fully paid, but the yearling registration not paid, then the person that is the registered owner at that point, and completes and pays for the yearling stage registration, will be eligible for appropriate bonuses.

Yes. Advanced registrations are accepted online.

Late entry will only be accepted if one or more of the following conditional precedents apply:

• Access to the GBB website is not available. Should this apply, registrants must show evidence of genuine attempts to register via appropriately dated emails or calls to either TBA or Weatherbys Helpline prior to the registration deadline.
• The GBB website does not accept registration and/or payment. There must be evidence that attempts to register on the website have been made, and emails or calls to TBA and Helpline prior to the deadline.
• Delayed foal registration to the General Stud Book and therefore the foal does not appear as eligible on GBB website. This will only apply if the delay is demonstrably outside the control of the breeder or registrant.

Applications for late entry must be made via email to the scheme manager with full details of the breeder/registrant, together with a short explanation of the circumstances that apply and any evidence requested. No applications for late registration will be considered 28 days after the original closure date. Any successful GBB registration appeal will take effect as from the registration deadline date and can only be processed by the same owner both at the time of registration and the appeal date. Registration is not transferable if between those dates ownership has changed.

Yes. Should a filly change hands, the owners share of any Great British Bonus scheme win will be paid out to the registered racing owner and other connections at the time of a qualified fillys win. The share of bonuses for the foal and yearling registration stages are not affected by this and are payable to the registered General Stud Book owner at the time the registration stage is paid.