latest hrnz 2 year old bonus press release

[the galah]

So the latest press release says they will only pay out the bonus to the connections of winning 2 year olds.

the press release says" the big change is that the $6,000 that has been paid for either running second to a previous bonus winner or being the first non winning pacer or trotter home in a ratings race, has been discontinued".

Going by that statement,theoretically last year you could have lined up the only  2 year old in a non win race for 2 year olds and older,and got $6,000 even if you ran last. 

thats going by the latest press release anyway.

 

i think its a good thing they have stopped those $6,000 payments. But then again they are giving away $4,000 payments if you make it to the races ,run last, for horses bought at the sales this year who meet the criteria.

And ,these bonuses that they change or cancel each year,if they were supposed to encourage more breeders to breed,wouldn't the breeders be worried that it might change by the time the mare they bred from last year has a foal old enough to race in future years.

 

Anyways,the thing about this press release,is it wouldn't be a press release about 2 year old bonuses,without some smoke and mirrors .

The press release says this.

"we have more and more 2 year olds racing  all the time and hrnz in conjunction with entain  are keen to support this trend through 2025 says mathew peden"

the number of 2 year olds that raced increased from 18 to 21% of the crop in 2024 and that number will only rise this year''.

so can you see what they have done there. They have said theres more and more 2 year olds racing,yet they don't actually say what the number was.

Why not use the simplest way for anyone to understand. Compare one figure with the next.

But Instead they go to the % of the crops in previous years comparison.

of course the flaw in that,which they must know,is if you had a larger crop in the earlier year,then you may in fact have had less 2 year olds racing last year than the previous year.

Edited February 10 by the galah

[Brodie]

Entain have shut down their Ladbrokes Racing Club that provided horses and greyhounds free of charge apparently to people that applied for ownership!

It was apparently costing them too much to run with rising costs!

If they can not afford to race horses and dogs with the expenses being too much compared to stake money received, then how do they expect to be attracting new owners in NZ?

Entain appear to have had a couple of poor years worldwide and you would have to think that they are certainly very vulnerable to be bought out by a more successful gambling agency in the future?

It would appear to be make hay while the sun shines?

[the galah]

  On 10/02/2025 at 5:44 AM, Brodie said:

Entain have shut down their Ladbrokes Racing Club that provided horses and greyhounds free of charge apparently to people that applied for ownership!

It was apparently costing them too much to run with rising costs!

If they can not afford to race horses and dogs with the expenses being too much compared to stake money received, then how do they expect to be attracting new owners in NZ?

Entain appear to have had a couple of poor years worldwide and you would have to think that they are certainly very vulnerable to be bought out by a more successful gambling agency in the future?

It would appear to be make hay while the sun shines?

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What you say about the ladbrokes racing club discontinuing in australia is interesting.

the tab racing club in nz hasn't been going long,but apparently is still going and has been promoted as being modelled on the now discontinued ladbrokes racing club.

from what i've read previously the tab racing club is more about getting people to come along to the races to experience what goes with ownership,without any financial output,nor any financial rewards. They do say members can go into a draw sometimes for bonus prizes,whatever that may be.

just last month Entain announced their forecast profit for the 2024 year was likely to be in the 1.26-1.32 billion US $.

When they announced that, their shares went up 9%.

that may sound good,but last year entains share prices fell by 30%  and then a further 12% last month,prior to entains announcement,when the main US sports betting ageancy,flutter,advised they will be taking a hit to its yearly earnings.

seems the problem for flutter and entain,who are the big players in USA sports betting, has been the current NFL season has seen the highest % of favorites win in the last 20 years. Entain and its partner(mgm), apparently lost 250 million US $ on the us sports side of things.

JP Morgan saying' they think Entain will neeed more time and investments to turn its overall trading and profitability momentum around''.

Don't know about the being bought out brodie,as they are still one of the biggest gambling companies worldwide.

 

anyways,back to HRNZ and entains focus on 2 year olds.

The biggest issue i have always had is simple,

what proof have they given us that getting more 2 year olds to race will mean more overall starters ,of all ages ,in years to come.

I mean,ask yourself,shouldn't it be blatantly obvious,the focus  must be on getting more starters,irrespective of their age. 

I mean,by putting their focus on getting 2 year olds racing and neglecting older horses,then even if you achieve your goal with the 2 year olds,overall you  still will be losing if you lose the same number of the older horses by ignoring their needs..

Its such a basic ,yet HRNZ ignore it. Which is why i keep saying,i don't think these people are very clever as not once have they addressed the point i just made.Wheres the proof what they are doing will help overall long term?

Edited February 10 by the galah

[Taku Umanga]

 

Not sure of the impact, but this is another change that has been slipped in:

 

“If the breeding entity does not exist at the time of the win no breeder bonus will paid.”

(previously) “A Breeder or Breeding Entity ceases to exist if they have had no service attempts in the previous 5 years on the HRNZ Infohorse system.”

(now) “A breeding entity ceases to exist for the purposes of TYOBS if they have had not bred or attempted to breed a mare since the 2021/22 breeding season as recorded on the HRNZ Infohorse system.”

[Taku Umanga]

  On 10/02/2025 at 8:33 PM, Taku Umanga said:

 

Not sure of the impact, but this is another change that has been slipped in:

 

“If the breeding entity does not exist at the time of the win no breeder bonus will paid.”

(previously) “A Breeder or Breeding Entity ceases to exist if they have had no service attempts in the previous 5 years on the HRNZ Infohorse system.”

(now) “A breeding entity ceases to exist for the purposes of TYOBS if they have had not bred or attempted to breed a mare since the 2021/22 breeding season as recorded on the HRNZ Infohorse system.”

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Given that current 2yo's were born in 2022, does that mean a breeder that only breeds every second year misses out on the bonus?

[the galah]

  On 10/02/2025 at 8:33 PM, Taku Umanga said:

 

Not sure of the impact, but this is another change that has been slipped in:

 

“If the breeding entity does not exist at the time of the win no breeder bonus will paid.”

(previously) “A Breeder or Breeding Entity ceases to exist if they have had no service attempts in the previous 5 years on the HRNZ Infohorse system.”

(now) “A breeding entity ceases to exist for the purposes of TYOBS if they have had not bred or attempted to breed a mare since the 2021/22 breeding season as recorded on the HRNZ Infohorse system.”

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Maybe that "previously" definition was used to cover all the bonuses at the time and was more applicable to some other bonuses that they brought in and then cancelled.

Like the nz bred stallions bonus. In that example,If you were a breeder and thinking, (or silly enough to think),that the bonus for going to a nz bred sire in the year that bonus scheme was announced,would still be going by the time your nz bred stallion foal got to races,then you may have ended up feeling a bit annoyed when they cancelled it the following year.

Anyways,under the previous conditions,if you had bred a horse that won a 2 year old race,then obviously it shouldn't have needed to be stipulated it was within 5 years as it would have gone without saying,that it must have been.

But what you say the defintion now is. i find a bit ambiguous personally. because they have used the word "since the 2021/2022 breeding season".

does that mean since the start of that season,meaning the breeder of a mare bred in 2021/22 season is eligible,or does since mean from the end of the breeding season,meaning if a breeder hadn't bred after the 2021/22 season,then they wouldn't be eligible for the  bonus,if a 2 year old they bred wins. 

had they used the words,including or after,i think it would have been much clearer. 

Now heres the main thing about the 2 year old breeders bonus.

Did it result in more mares being bred in the season just after it was announced.

and,did it result in more mares being bred in the year just gone by.

If it didn't,and sadly we know the answer to the first part,then was utilising the money in the way they did,the best way to get more breeders breeding their mares.Clearly no, in my opinion,but this years figures will tell the story ,whenever they put those out.

Edited February 11 by the galah

[Brodie]

Personally would not think that too many people are going to be breeding more horses due to bonuses!

Yes it is obviously beneficial if a breeder can get a wee bit extra in $, but can not see it doing a lot to increase numbers unfortunately.

Reality is that the other costs compared to what you can receive in stake returns just doesnt make it financially viable, so we are lucky that there remains sufficient numbers of people prepared to continue to breed.

Hope that it continues to be the case.