Changes to breeder’s incentive plan approved by advisory committee to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has been busy with the breeder’s incentive program recently. There was a meeting on the 25th January in which an advisory committee to the KHRC discussed the program in detail. The result of the session were
three recommendations which were approved by the committee. These recommendations deal with changes that should be brought to the breeder’s incentive program.
The meeting took place in Lexington where the KHRC offices are situated. One of the recommendations made by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders’ Incentive Advisory Committee included the removal of the age limit factor. The commission has currently placed
an age limit on the horses that race outside of the Bluegrass and are eligible to get incentive funds.
The age restriction is placed at four years. Above that, the horses become disqualified to receive the incentive funds offered by the Kentucky breeders. Furthermore, these incentives are only available to the horses that have qualified in allowance and
maiden special weight races. There is an added condition, according to which the qualifying horses should be the ones who have participated in races at tracks outside the state of Kentucky.
However, the commission places no age limit on horses that qualify for the incentive program by winning races that fall into the category of graded stakes that are held out of the state. When the incentive program started, some horses were included into
the program as such. These horses were those that were bred in 2006 in the state of Kentucky. Therefore, the horses that could be inculcated in the budget program in 2007 missed the chance, as by the year 2012, these would reach the age of five.
The second recommendation which the advisory committee approved to be presented to the commission has to do with the breeder’s award. It has been suggested that the prize money given to the winners of grade I race should be reduced. Currently, it is at $25,000.the
suggested amount of the award calls for a reduction of $10,000, bringing it down to $15,000.
The last recommendation that was agreed upon has to do with the way the claiming awards should be distributed. The commission separates an amount of $200,000 for claiming horses. This sum of money is taken from the incentive fund. According to the suggestion,
the recommendation that has been approved will ask the committee to allocate the said $200,000 to the breeders of those horses that have recorded their names in the top 20. These top 20 horses would be those that have managed to win the highest number of claiming
races in a year. This would apply to races that have been run in the state of Kentucky. If this is implemented, it would ensure that the better horse in a tie position receives a bigger portion of the money.
This recommendation comes with a condition as well. Only those horses that have won the claiming race only will qualify for the incentive fund at the end of the year. Those horses that have won allowance or maiden races along with the claiming race will
automatically disqualify. Another important thing to remember in this regard is that this is applicable for the races played in the state of Kentucky.
However, if a horse has won a claiming race in Kentucky and has also won either allowance or maiden races in another state, it will qualify for the incentive fund offerings.
Although these changes have been approved by the committee, there is still a long way to go before they can be implemented. The next session of the advisory committee is to take place on the 22nd February.