The Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association (SBOA) is pleased to announce that it has officially signed an agreement with the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) for a $12 million enhancement of the current breeders rewards program.

After a number of productive discussions and meetings with representatives from the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) and Ontario Horse Racing (OHR), Ontario’s Standardbred breeding industry now has an enhanced program in place that will further reward excellence and encourage breeders to invest in Ontario.

The Board of the SBOA would like to thank Jeff Leal, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for his support in reaching this agreement. "I'm pleased that the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association has signed this new agreement to enhance the current breeders rewards program. Horse racing is an important part of the fabric of communities across Ontario and this new agreement will continue to build confidence and support the growth and development of the industry going forward," said Minister Leal.

In addition to Minister Leal, the SBOA would also like to thank Elmer Buchanan, Chair of the ORC, and Steve Lehman, Executive Director of the ORC, for working with the SBOA to create a comprehensive enhanced Standardbred breeders rewards program.

The SBOA has established a four-tier program for these enhanced breeders rewards, which will be paid out at approximately $3 million a year starting in 2015 through 2018. An outline of this dynamic program is included below:

Tier 1 – Breeder’s Incentives - $1 Million

Incentives will be paid to the owners/lessees of eligible Ontario Resident Mares that produce registered foals that are both Ontario Bred and Ontario Sired and that are nominated to the Breeder’s Incentive program. Further details and conditions regarding this incentive will be available in the coming weeks. The first foals eligible for this incentive will be the foals of 2015.

Tier 2 – Increase to the Standardbred Improvement Program’s Ontario Bred Rewards - $1 Million

These rewards will be paid on a pro-rata basis to the owners/lessees of eligible Ontario Resident Mares with purse-winning offspring, which are both Ontario Bred and Ontario Sired, racing in Ontario Sires Stakes races and selected open stakes races in Ontario. These rewards will commence with the 2015 stakes season.

Tier 3 – Leading Divisional Performer Breeder Rewards - $400,000

A $50,000 reward will be split amongst the owners/lessees of the eligible Ontario Resident Mares that produce the top three Ontario Bred performers in each of the eight divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes, based on earnings in Ontario Sires Stakes races, in the following manner:

• 1st - $25,000

• 2nd - $15,000

• 3rd - $10,000

The top performers from the 2015 stakes season will be the first group eligible for these rewards.

Tier 4 - Stallion Rewards - $400,000

A $100,000 reward will be paid to the top Ontario Sires Stakes stallions based on progeny earnings in the Ontario Sires Stakes in each of the four following categories:

• two-year-old trotters

• two-year-old pacers

• three-year-old trotters

• three-year-old pacers

These rewards will be payable to the stallion owner/syndicates. Further details and conditions regarding these rewards will be available in the coming weeks. The leading stallions from the 2015 stakes season will be the first group eligible for these rewards.

The enhanced breeders rewards program has been designed to promote the breeding and racing of quality Standardbreds that are both Ontario Bred and Ontario Sired. In order to fully participate in this innovative program, breeders are encouraged to enroll their broodmares in the Ontario Resident Mare Program in 2015. To qualify as an Ontario Resident Mare, the mare must be enrolled with the Program each year and meet all eligibility requirements as outlined in the Program Criteria booklet that is produced by the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC). Further information on the Ontario Resident Mare Program can be obtained from the ORC website.

Additionally, the owners/lessees of mares that were enrolled in the Ontario Resident Mare Program for the 2014 foaling season must return a signed Declaration of Compliance form to Standardbred Canada before the 2014 foal can be designated as 'Ontario Bred.'

(SBOA)