Great British Bonus Scheme Reaches £13.5 Million Mark As 999th Bonus Paid

[Wandering Eyes]

The 999th Great British Bonus was paid to the connections of Miss Bielsa (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) after she won on debut in a maiden fillies' race on Jan. 26. A £50,000gns Tattersalls Book 2 alum, the Alan Byrne-owned Miss Bielsa picked up a £20,000 bonus at Wolverhampton.

The Simon and Ed Crisford trainee is a half-sister to the very first GBB winner, Pelekai (GB) (Kodiac {GB}), who won £10,000 on debut, and to Golden Mayflower (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), who earned £20,000, also in her first appearance. The trio are out of Pelerin (Ire) (Shamardal), a multiple listed winner. The chestnut is the 763rd filly to have secured at least one GBB bonus, with 166 multiple GBB bonus winners. Byrne is one of 562 owners who have seen success with GBB, while her breeder, Newsells Park Stud, is one of 454 who have bred a winning filly.

Philip Newton, the Chairman of the TBA, which runs the scheme, said, “At a superficial level, GBB is supporting the entire industry with immediate financial rewards, but it's doing so much more than that: it's encouraging racing in Britain; it's encouraging more fillies to be tested on the track; it's incentivising the use of British-based stallions; it's creating a demand and increasing the value of British-bred fillies at the sales; it's doing so much and exceeding expectations. It is showing that well thought out and carefully managed incentives can–and do–work.”

Since the scheme's launch, the value of British-bred fillies at sales has increased 16.3%; 13.4% for Flat fillies and 26.5% for NH fillies, according to a study by PWC.

He added, “We're truly grateful to the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for its unwavering support of the Great British Bonus. The HBLB not only provides £3.5 million in annual funding to the programme, but also plays a vital role in its management through its representatives on the GBB Management Group. Its continued partnership is instrumental in ensuring the longevity and effectiveness of the scheme.”

The deadline to register 2022 Flat-bred fillies for stage 3 is Feb. 28, 2024. For more information on the programme and to register a filly, please visit the GBB website.

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