On Friday, April 2, officials with Ontario Horse Racing issued a reminder to participants of the Standardbred Improvement Program stressing the importance of enrolling their mares in the Ontario Resident Mare Program this year.

The following incentives especially benefit Ontario-Bred foals:

• SBOA $12M Breeders Reward Enhancement
Only Ontario-Sired foals out of mares enrolled in and meeting the requirements of the Ontario Resident Mare Program, will be eligible to earn a share of the $12M enhancement funding through the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association (SBOA). Further details of this Breeders Rewards enhancement for foals that are BOTH Ontario Sired and Ontario Bred are available on the SBOA website.

• $2M Owners’ Bonus starting in 2017
Foals of 2015 will be eligible to earn a portion of the new $2M Owners’ Bonus based on their overnight earnings as two and three-year-olds. This Standardbred Improvement Program bonus, which was announced in January, will begin in 2017 and is available to owners of foals that are Ontario Sired OR Ontario Bred. However, if a foal is both Ontario Sired AND Ontario Bred they will receive double the bonus. Although it will be paid to the owners of eligible foals rather than the mare owners, it is anticipated that this bonus will increase the value of Ontario Bred foals.

These incentives are, of course, in addition to the Ontario Bred Rewards which have been in effect since 2011 and amount to 15% of OSS earnings plus 15% of earnings in selected Open Stakes in Ontario. Ontario Bred Rewards are paid to the person who enrolled the mare in the Program.

Mares may be enrolled in the Ontario Resident Mare Program for a fee of $50 before they foal or $300 after they have foaled (up to September 1st). The mare must be resident in the province of Ontario at the time of enrolment and must remain in the province for 180 days surrounding foaling in Ontario.

All forms are available on the new OHR website at ontariohorseracing.ca by clicking ‘Breeding Programs’ and then ‘Standardbred Improvement Program.’

For further information:

Karen Hauver – Ontario Horse Racing – 519-369-3545
Walter Parkinson – SBOA – 519-227-4294
Robin McClure – Standardbred Canada – 905-858-3060

(OHR)