From the President's Desk...
Harness Racing in Victoria enters a new era with the appointment of Matt Isaacs as the new CEO. We offer our congratulations to Matt on his appointment and look forward to working with him over the coming years. To that end, I will be meeting with Matt in early February to begin the process of advising him on the issues facing breeders in Victoria. It is also appropriate that I thank Fiona Mellor for her work as Interim CEO over the last few months which has been a busy time for the sport. Fiona did an excellent job and I wish her well in returning to her main role on the commercial side of the organisation.
The breeding season has largely come to a close for 2022-23 and I trust it has been a successful one for our members. The season included plenty of challenges with excessive rain and other unseasonal weather leading to many foals being post term and some mares having trouble cycling.
HRV have been canvassing views from across the industry on the timing of the Vicbred Super Series right at the end of December. The prospect of this series being run prior to the Breeders Crown was suggested by some parties as an alternative, thereby allowing the juveniles to perhaps spell a little earlier and therefore be ready to return to racing a little earlier the following year. HBV contributed to the debate in the usual manner and we look forward to HRV deciding on the feature race calendar for the second half of 2023 shortly.
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Vicbred Benefits For Breeders
All throughout January, we've been promoting the real-life benefits of breeding a horse which is Vicbred eligible. Just how much are breeders (foal nominators) getting paid, even when they no longer own the horse? The answers may surprise you! Keep an eye on our social media feeds for more case studies across Summer.
There are three ways that breeders continue to benefit from breeding Vicbred horses:
10% Vicbred Breeder Bonus - an amount equal to 10% of the advertised race stake is paid to the foal nominator of a Vicbred-eligible horse EVERY TIME it wins any age-restricted (2YO-3YO-4YO) race in Victoria.
Breeder Vicbred Stake Percentage - 5% of the total prize money due to a horse (1st-12th) is paid to the foal nominator every time a horse collects prize money in any Vicbred or Vicbred Platinum NR race or heat, semi-final and final of the Home Grown or Super Series. If there is no Stallion Nominator, the breeder gets 10%.
Breeder Vicbred First Win Bonus Percentage - 5% of the $7,000 (2-3-4YO) or $3,500 (5YO+) Vicbred First Win Bonus, claimed by a Vicbred horse on its debut win in Victoria is paid to the foal nominator. If there is no Stallion Nominator, the breeder gets 10%.
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2022 HBV Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of Harness Breeders (Vic) Inc (covering transition reporting period 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2022) will be held at 10:30AM Sunday 12 March 2023.
Agenda and Annual Report up on the website soon.
Committee vacancies - we encourage members to nominate to join our dedicated committee for 2023. Nomination forms can be found HERE and are accepted up until three days before the AGM.
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HBV Membership 2023
Membership for the 2023 season is now open. All current and recently lapsed members have received a new season membership form and information about the AGM but you can also download the new form HERE or below.
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Searching For A Vicbred Star
Get your cameras clicking, we're searching for our 2023 Stallion Guide cover star from this season's Vicbred crop! Could your latest foal be the one we're looking for? Entries are open now, find out how HERE.
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Nutrien Melbourne 2023
The 2023 Nutrien Melbourne Yearling Sale catalogue is now available, along with sales information for the April 1-3 event. Click through to see the digital catalogue or order a hard copy HERE.
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Taking place after the Woodlands Stud Yearling Parade on Saturday 1 April 2023, University of Melbourne's Dr James Gilkerson will be assessing all yearlings and presented the best colt and filly of each gait with an award. Set judging criteria apply and we look forward to bringing you the results before the sales start on Sunday.
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Member Group Results
Congratulations to Group 1 winning member-breeders across January:
Aldebaran Lodge - Aldebaran Zeus (Maori Mile)
Victorian Group wins also for Yabby Dam Farms (Dont Care, Just Believe), Anne Anderson (Hurricane Harley), Robert Watson (Catalpa Rescue)
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Broodmare Nutrition
Join Bec Ham (KER) and Andrew Soper (Barastoc) to discuss the nutritional needs of your broodmare across the whole season with Paul Campbell of Campbell’s Comments.
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Harness Breeders Victoria Committee Meetings
The next meeting of the HBV committee is scheduled for Tuesday 28 March 2023 and a summary of proceedings will be posted on our website shortly after. We invite members and interested parties to submit papers or correspondence for consideration by the Committee by post or email. To be tabled at the next meeting, they must be received no later than Friday 17 March 2023. Please refer to previously summaries on our website to ensure the issue has not previously been addressed by the Committee.
The summary of proceedings from our January meeting can be viewed HERE |
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Headline image: A 2021 foal by Truscott Lodge's Sundons Courage from Zooma mare, Ships Scar, bred by Michelle Wicks
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