IF there is one owner that has felt the benefit of the Weatherbys ITBA NH Fillies Bonus Scheme, it is the Supreme Horse Racing syndicate

Since the inception of the scheme in 2013, Supreme Racing have won 11 individual bonuses, amassing €55,000, from eight individual winners.

These winners include the likes of Grade 1 winner Airlie Beach and the classy Ainsi Va La Vie. In fact, just two weeks ago Robin De Carlow won her mares’ maiden hurdle to back up her winning start in a mares’ bumper at Ballinrobe at the end of May. She now has two wins from two runs with a cool €10,000 to add to the €12,000 she has already earned. And there should be a lot more to come.

For Jim Balfry, head of the Supreme Horse Racing Syndicate, the bonus scheme has been a game changer. He said: “The bonus has had a huge impact for sure. Put it this way if we have a gelding up beside a mare on our website, we’d get the mare leased much faster. That is a huge change on how things used to be 10 years ago.

“People can see there is real value there with three bonus opportunities and an excellent listed and graded race programme for mares.”

Breeder Ken Parkhill is one of the trusted suppliers to Supreme Racing and has had three mares win the bonus in the Supreme Racing silks: Myska, Pearl Diamond and, most recently, Dramalarma Lucy at Tramore in June.

“From a breeder’s point of view the ITBA Weatherbys bonus is fantastic,” Parkhill explained. “There is now the demand there to have mares in racing with the extra value the bonus brings.

“It’s a huge benefit for me. Through Supreme and Blue Bloods racing, I can have a horse in training with Willie Mullins without cost. It’s imperative that you’re sending mares to a good trainer because I am all about keeping the family and pedigree line alive.

“The improvements for mares, like the bonus scheme, have played a huge part in improving the breed and bringing real value.”

PRIZE MONEY

When you are involved with the Supreme Horse Racing Syndicate and a lot of other organised racing syndicates and clubs, you lease the horse for their racing career which enables you to attain all the prize money earned from the horse’s career.

“Along with the prize money, all the bonus money goes to the syndicate members of the mare that wins it and that’s a huge carrot for people looking to get involved,” Balfry explains

“From a racing club point of view, it is way easier for us to syndicate a mare now. The bonus has definitely played a part in that. Your typical bumper has about €6,000 to the winner. If you’re getting €5,000 bonus on top of that, it’s like winning two races.”

This wasn’t always the case as before the Weatherbys ITBA NH Fillies Bonus Scheme came in, a lot of mares never made it to track.

Parkhill adds: “The landscape has changed. You can see it in the value of mares at the sales and all the big owners have top class mares.”

For Balfry and Supreme Racing, a small goal now will be to join the select group of four mares who have completed the hat-trick of bonus races by winning their mares’ bumper, mares’ maiden hurdle and mares’ beginners chase.

Given that the majority of the mares in the Supreme colours are leased, understandably their breeders are keen to get them back after they’ve proved themselves on the track early on but it is still surely only a matter of time before the two shades of blue and white secure a hat-trick bonus winner.

In the meantime, Balfry hopes Eileen O can make it €60,000 earned from the scheme in the mares’ bumper, the final race at Galway today.