News from Great British Bonus

30 June 2021

£2.5 million in bonuses
awarded in the first year

◆◆ We have been using GBB as a tool to try to sell horses. It’s early days, but people are really latching on to how they can benefit from it. I’ve had emails from breeders for whom we’ve won bonuses and, because they are beginning to win something, it’s starting to snowball. It’s reached the stage where you almost wouldn’t look at a filly that doesn’t have GBB registration, because you’d be missing out on a huge gap in the market. ◆◆

George Boughey, winner-a-minute trainer. Trained two multiple-bonus winners, including BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE who is aimed at Ascot.

Climbing the mountain

A message from the operations executive, Charlie Newton

It has been a whirlwind few months with sales, bonuses and birthdays. We have paid out £2.5 million in bonuses in just 12 months. These have gone to 136 fillies, including 25 multiple-bonus winners. When we break it down, that’s 101 breeders, 110 owners, 68 trainers, 84 jockeys and 68 stable staff teams.

Recent successes include our 100th winner on the Flat, COUP DE FORCE, who secured a bonus at Chepstow for her owner/breeder/trainer Stuart Kittow. And already this season, two fillies – BELLARENA LADY (trained by Ed Dunlop) and ELLADE (Mark Johnston) – have landed two bonus wins each.

Now that we are a year in, some of the latest highlights have come from seeing previous GBB winners graduate out of the scheme. Two that particularly stand out are SACRED, the second-ever bonus winner, who is entered for the Commonwealth Cup, along with BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE (winner of two GBB races and £40k) who heads to the Queen Mary Stakes, both at Ascot.

Of course, it’s not all about the bonuses; the scheme supports British breeders. They get a portion of the bonuses and registering a filly for GBB should also increase her sales potential. We are starting to see some excellent results in the sales ring. GBB-registered fillies sold for an average of 40% more than non-registered fillies at the Goffs Spring Store Sale.

You may have noticed that our social media activities have increased recently so feel free to tag us when talking about your GBB fillies and mares. Now I am permanently based with the TBA, if you ever have any questions or queries about GBB, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Marketing and promotions

The Great British Bonus (GBB) has passed two important dates: its first birthday and a first like-for-like registration period.

GBB aims to increase the number of British-bred horses in racing and safeguard the future of British breeding. The scheme has come a long way since its launch one year ago, and can claim to both ‘do what it says on the tin’ and ‘reach the parts others cannot’.

It has boosted the attraction and appeal of fillies and mares in every part of the industry thanks to the investment of owners and breeders, and significant funding support from the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

The 2020 yearling registration closed on 31st May and some significant numbers have been achieved:
◆ 1,521 registrations, an increase of 35% on last year
◆ 93% conversion of 1,636 2020 foal registrations
◆ 93% for both Flat and Jumps nominations.

The 2021 foal registration period opens on 15th July, and with the enthusiasm shown for the scheme to date, a positive and bright future is anticipated for the British racing and breeding industry.

With the commitment of our new operations executive, Charlie Newton – and a slicker marketing campaign in the pipeline thanks to website and software upgrades – GBB is looking forward to another year of growth.

Philip Newton, GBB Management Group