Inglis will make a significant investment in racing at the entry-level, enhancing its Race Series with $5 million worth of bonuses, which will be distributed to eligible Maiden winners via the newly-formed Inglis Xtra Bonus Series.
Prizemoney at the top level in Australia has gone through the roof in recent years and is widely regarded as a global industry leader - you only have to look at the world’s richest race on turf, The Everest, which carries a total purse of a staggering $15 million for proof of that - and in 2023, Australia will host no less than 89 races worth $1 million or more.
Connections of Fireburn after winning the G1 Inglis Sires' Produce S. | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
So, with the elite catered for, Inglis has decided to introduce the Xtra Bonus Series as a way to complement these significant investments by pouring money into racing at the grass-roots.
Under the Inglis Xtra Bonus Series, 50 designated Maiden races will be incentivised with a $100,000 bonus to the winner. Connections of a winner of such races will receive the $100,000 bonus if the horse is an Inglis graduate and paid up for the Inglis Race Series.
Inglis Bloodstock CEO, Sebastian Hutch, told TDN AusNZ the Inglis Xtra Bonus Series enables every buyer and owner at the entry point of racing an opportunity to enjoy a fantastic experience and win an extraordinary amount of prizemoney.
Sebastian Hutch | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We’re constantly looking at ideas to improve how we operate our sales; the services we offer… marketing, etc., and one of the things we’re constantly looking at developing is the Race Series. The Pink Bonus was a significant addition to the Race Series last year and it was very well-received,” Hutch said.
“We’ve regularly discussed trying to identify a way in which we could develop the Race Series that would see more people win more often and we never quite hit on a formula that we thought worked.
"We came across this idea, which we think has the capacity to be a fantastic addition to our Race Series; it’s a great opportunity for people participating at all levels of racing and we’re really excited by the opportunities it’s going to present to owners.
“We came across this idea, which we think has the capacity to be a fantastic addition to our Race Series; it’s a great opportunity for people participating at all levels of racing and we’re really excited by the opportunities it’s going to present to owners.” - Sebastian Hutch
“We’re incredibly fortunate in this country that the racing administrators invest massively in prizemoney. We’re always looking at ways of complementing the work done by Racing New South Wales, Racing Victoria and the other Principal Racing Authorities, rather than trying to cannibalise any of that money.
“We get regular feedback from participants, trainers in particular, saying it would be really fantastic if a horse’s first win was a really significant one. The majority of a horse’s first win is a Maiden and in the case of plenty, it might be its only win.
"We’ve taken that feedback on board and I feel like we’ve put together a structure of races across a series of Maidens, across a variety of distances, at a variety of locations, that can really appeal to people and present people fantastic opportunities to win significant amounts of prizemoney.”
How it works
The new concept will see the Inglis Race Series increase to an accumulative prizemoney figure of $12.55 million in the 2024/25 Australian racing season, with all of the existing races – Inglis Millennium, Inglis Sprint, Inglis Banner, Inglis Nursery, Inglis Bracelet and Inglis Challenge, as well as the Inglis Pink Bonuses – to remain.
Xtravagant Star after winning the 2022 Inglis Millennium | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
As part of the Inglis Xtra Bonus Series, 50 Maidens will be selected to carry the bonus with a focus on New South Wales and Victoria, while bonuses are also planned for Queensland.
The Maidens will range from 900 metres to 2000 metres and be for eligible for horses aged three and above.
“I think first and foremost, people want to win good races; whatever the level the race is, people want to win. This initiative gives investors through our sales the opportunity to win more races and more prizemoney, more often,” Hutch added.
“I think first and foremost, people want to win good races; whatever the level the race is, people want to win. This initiative gives investors through our sales the opportunity to win more races and more prizemoney, more often.” - Sebastian Hutch
“The hardest race for a horse to win is their Maiden. They are a huge part of race programming and present an opportunity for every horse to win.
“Our investigations, with the schedule of races we looked at, concluded that the first-placed prizemoney for Maidens was just short of $21,000, so if you can top that up with a $100,000 bonus, effectively multiplying the prizemoney by five, it’s really fantastic and a great incentive to people who are participating.
“Effectively, owners will have the opportunity to win ‘Inglis’ prizemoney every week of the year and the plan is for these races to be everywhere, from major country carnivals to midweek metro to provincial and everything in between.
“One hundred thousand dollars is going to be an enormous carrot for owners of eligible horses and we are expecting the designated Maidens to be targeted and bonuses to be won regularly through the 2024/25 season and beyond.’’
Saltaire winning the 2022 Inglis Nursery | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Inglis Xtra Bonus Series will be for horses born in 2021 and beyond that are paid up for the Inglis Race Series.
The specific races themselves will be confirmed once the 2024/25 Australian racing season schedule is released next year.
The next opportunity to purchase a horse to compete for the Inglis Xtra Bonus Series will be at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, which gets underway at Riverside Stables in New South Wales on Sunday.
