Cover image courtesy of VOBIS Sires
Racing Victoria has unveiled a new look to the VOBIS program with a focus on consistency and returns across all stages of a racehorse’s lifecycle. The state’s commitment to incentivising breeding and ownership provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on the bonus schemes available around Australia.
Boosts bring balance to VOBIS landscape
The recent VOBIS reshuffle was put together following extensive consultation with the state’s race clubs and stakeholder groups, and raises the annual potential bonuses on offer to $30 million available in cash and vouchers. From August 1 2026, the scheme will set all VOBIS Silver bonuses at $20,000 in line with VOBIS Gold payouts.
| 1st (70%) | $14,000 | $3220 | $9100 | $1120 | $560 |
| 2nd (20%) | $4000 | $920 | $2600 | $320 | $160 |
| 3rd (10%) | $2000 | $460 | $1300 | $160 | $80 |
Table: VOBIS payout structure from 2026/27
While this means a reduction in the payouts at a metropolitan level, there is no cap on the number of bonuses a horse can win if entered into the scheme.
The program also lays out a consistent structure for how bonuses will be paid out to the horse’s nominator, current owner, trainer, and jockey. The scheme is currently the only one of its kind in the country to reward jockeys, and one of two that pays a bonus to trainers who do not fall into either the owner or nominator categories.
VOBIS Platinum winning owners | Image courtesy of Racing Victoria
Entry fees to the scheme will rise for the first time since 2013, but a 20% discount will be trialled in the 2027 nomination period for eligible horses born in 2025. VOBIS Platinum - which gives owners the opportunity to win an additional $30,000 voucher to be spent on VOBIS eligible yearlings or service fees - is free to enrol for.
| VOBIS Silver: Victorian Sired | $725 | $580 | $1450 |
| VOBIS Silver: Victorian Bred Back | $1450 | $1160 | $2900 |
| VOBIS Silver: Vic Owner/Breeder | $4000 | $3200 | $8000 |
| VOBIS Gold | $1200 | $960 | $2400 |
| VOBIS Platinum | Free | Free | Free |
Table: VOBIS nomination fee structure
Where can you be rewarded?
There are currently seven states and territories with bonus schemes in Thoroughbred racing, although the newest VOBIS update makes Victoria the only one that gives bonuses to jockeys in eligible races as well as trainers, owners, and breeders (or nominators). New South Wales’ BOBS rewards trainers and jockeys, but not breeders.
| NSW | BOBS | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| VIC | VOBIS | Yes | Yes* | Yes | Yes | *under Nominator |
| QLD | QTIS | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| SA | Racing Rewards SA | Yes | Yes* | No | No | *under Nominator |
| WA | Westspeed | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| TAS | Tasbred | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| NT | TROBIS | Yes | No | No | No |
Table: Who can be rewarded by Australian bonus schemes
Tasmania’s Tasbred scheme, which expanded in August 2025 to have a $2.15 million bonus pool available each season, is the only other scheme to reward the trainers.
Each territory has its own set of eligibility criteria, with the first option for all but the Northern Territory being for a horse to be sired by an eligible stallion based in the state, but most have an option to nominate horses who have a ‘breedback’ option, where the horse’s dam visited an eligible sire the next season. New South Wales is the tightest; only progeny by BOBS-eligible stallions can enroll in the scheme.
| NSW | BOBS | By a BOBS-nominated stallion | $990, late nomination $5500, BOBS Extra $840 |
| VIC | VOBIS | Victorian-sired, Victorian breedback, or Victorian owner/breeder (interstate sired) | $725 Victorian-sired, $1450 Victorian bred back, $4000 Vic owner/breeder, $1200 VOBIS Gold, free upgrade to VOBIS Platinum |
| QLD | QTIS | By a QLD sire or bred back to QLD sire | No fee for QLD sire, $1320 for breed back ($2530 late fee) |
| SA | Racing Rewards SA | SA-sired, SA breedback, or bred by SA breeder, or SA-owned/trained | No fee for first three options, $3300 (yearling) or $1320 (weanling) for fourth category |
| WA | Westspeed | WA-sired, WA breedback, or 50% WA ownership of dam (interstate sired) | $825 for first two options, or $1650 for interstate sired, $2200 owner nomination if not breeder nominated |
| TAS | Tasbred | TAS-bred, TAS-sired, or TAS-reared | $550-$1650 as a yearling (2022) |
| NT | TROBIS | Minimum 25% NT ownership | $1200, or $300 for progeny of NT broodmares, or free for TRNT Tried Horse Sales graduates |
Table: Eligibility criteria and fees for Australian bonus schemes
In Queensland and South Australia, the incentive is particularly strong to participate, with fees waived altogether for horses sired by eligible stallions.
All states and territories have bonuses available for horses up until and including their 4-year-old season, with Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania having possibilities in place for older horses. South Australian Racing Rewards Alumnus horses can continue to pick up bonus cheques in eligible Alumnus races.
| NSW | BOBS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 4YO races 1800m and over |
| VIC | VOBIS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4YO and up maidens |
| QLD | QTIS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SA | Racing Rewards SA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| WA | Westspeed | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 4YO races 1750m and over |
| TAS | Tasbred | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| NT | TROBIS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Table: Age groups eligible Australian bonus schemes
Maximising your payout
The best place to earn bonuses right now is Queensland, where QTIS eligible filly could earn $85,550 in a metropolitan race that may only be worth $48,800 to a non-QTIS horse, meaning she accrues a bonus of $36,750 Six percent of this is sent to the breeder - a cheque worth $2205 in this example - with the remainder going to the owner.
| NSW | BOBS | $16,000 | None | $1000 | $500 |
| VIC | VOBIS | $9100 | $3220 | $1120 | $560 |
| QLD | QTIS | $34,545 | $2205 | None | None |
| SA | Racing Rewards SA | $14,850 | $6270 | None | None |
| WA | Westspeed | $33,000 | $7700 | None | None |
| TAS | Tasbred | $16,000 | $4000 | $4000 | None |
| NT | TROBIS | $5000 | None | None | None |
Table: Maximum payouts from Australian bonus schemes
Not included in the table, but for QTIS-eligible horses winning at the highest level in the state, the bonus is even bigger; winners claim a $50,000 bonus that can be transformed into a $100,000 voucher for use at the sales on QTIS eligible horses. Breeders receive a $10,000 bonus for Group 1 winners, and a further $5000 bonus for winners of other stakes races.
Westspeed Platinum still performs very strongly, with $33,000 on offer to the former on eligible metropolitan races. For Westspeed Standard registered horses, the owner bonus drops to $16,500, which is still one of the highest on offer and is on a par with the metropolitan bonus on offer with BOBS.
Westspeed Platinum winning owners | Image courtesy of Racing WA
The payout in Victoria may look small in comparison to other states if you are the owner, but this is due to how the $20,000 bonus is broken down between the top three placegetters, and then nominator, owner, trainer, and jockey. For owner-breeders, there is the potential to earn a $12,320 bonus for a first place finish - particularly alluring with no cap on the amount of bonuses a horse can earn.
It is also the same amount whether the race is a Saturday metropolitan event, or a country maiden, with the intention to incentivise ownership at the grassroots level.
On the $20,000 split between owner and breeder for Tasbred horses, there is also the opportunity to earn an additional $5000 bonus if their maiden win is achieved in their 2-year-old season.
Vouchers offer more ways to play
Victoria isn’t the only state to offer bonuses in a voucher form, which can offer more value for recipients. BOBS offers the option of BOBS Double Up vouchers for winning owners, who can spend the voucher on either a BOBS eligible yearling or 2-year-old at a breeze-up sale, providing the latter is unraced and was not purchased with a voucher as a yearling. The vouchers can be redeemed against the value of the whole horse, or for a share in a syndicated BOBS horse bought through an Australasian sales ring.
QTISx bonuses for black-type races can be doubled as well for use as sales vouchers on QTIS-eligible horses sold at Queensland auctions. As mentioned above, winning owners in Group 1s have the opportunity to transform a $50,000 bonus into a $100,000 sales voucher. For Group 2, Group 3, and Listed races, the $10,000 bonus can become a $20,000 voucher.
QTIS winning owners | Image courtesy of Racing Queensland
Tasmania has an interesting deal for trainers, who can earn $1000 in cash as a bonus but can take that bonus up to $4000 in the form of a voucher, which can be redeemed against either a Tasmanian stallion service fee or the price of a yearling at the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.
From the VOBIS prize pool, $7.5 million is available in VOBIS Platinum vouchers. All VOBIS Gold races carry the chance to receive $30,000 Platinum vouchers, which can be used either to purchase VOBIS-eligible weanlings or yearlings, or can be redeemed against the service fee of a VOBIS-eligible sire.
The best chance for payback
Not all foals born in each state will be eligible for the bonus schemes, but examining the size of the foal crop can give breeders and buyers an idea of what jurisdiction could be the most lucrative. New South Wales has the greatest share of both the foal crop and the stallions standing at stud, with 47% of foals born in the state potentially eligible for BOBS.
| NSW | BOBS | $11,500,000 | 5162 | $2,228 |
| VIC | VOBIS | $30,000,000 | 2923 | $10,263 |
| QLD | QTIS | $13,000,000 | 1552 | $8,376 |
| SA | Racing Rewards SA | $3,000,000 | 212 | $14,151 |
| WA | Westspeed | $12,000,000 | 859 | $13,970 |
| TAS | Tasbred | $2,150,000 | 209 | $10,287 |
| NT | TROBIS | N/A | 0 | N/A |
Table: Potential annual bonus scheme payout compared to 2025 state foal crop
With the foal crop currently undergoing shrinkage each year while state bonus schemes continue to increase, the numbers have dramatically shifted in recent years. Four states now present as the place to race a local-bred, with the potential payout per foal sitting in the five figures.
