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One million more reasons to invest in Tasmanian Thoroughbred yearlings
Tasracing • August 27th, 2025 12:10 pm
The $20,000 TASBRED bonus will be extended to all Tasmanian Maidens and Age Maidens (excluding King Island and Longford) from 1 November 2025.
An additional $1 million will be allocated to the TASBRED scheme annually (including $300,000 from the Tasmanian Liberal Government), pushing funding to $2.15 million.
The scheme will also include bonuses on:
· On all 2YO and 3YO Age Handicaps.· Selected Maiden/Class 1 races.· Selected Feature races.
Other changes include:
· The current age restriction has been removed, meaning a maiden horse of any age can win a Tasbred bonus on advertised races.· On selected Feature race days Tasbred nominated maiden only races will be conducted.· Trainers will have a choice of either the existing $1000 cash payment or a $4000 payment to be used on a Tasmanian stallion breeding fee or voucher to be used at the next Tasmanian Magic Millions Yearling sales.
Introduced in 2018, TASBRED has been Tasmania's Breeding Incentive scheme since the realignment of tasBONUS.
Since its inception, TASBRED has paid out more than $7 million to locally bred horses to help incentivise local breeding.
Yearling sale contract extended
Magic Millions has continued its commitment to the Tasmanian Racing and Breeding industry by extending the existing agreement with Tasracing and Tasbreeders for a further five years.
The new agreement will see Magic Millions conduct the Tasmanian sale through until 2030.
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch welcomed the news of the increased investment in the TASBRED scheme alongside the company’s commitment to conduct the Tasmanian Yearling Sale through to 2030.
“An extra $1 million annually for the TASBRED scheme is significant. This investment is a lifeline, pivotal to the sustainability of the Tasmanian breeding and racing industry,” he said.
“The ability to turn a $1,000 TASBRED bonus into a $4,000 sales or service fee voucher, along with other enhancements announced, are material incentives to breed and own locally.
“We commend Tasracing and the State Government and we are committed to supporting and promoting the Tasmanian thoroughbred product to achieve the absolute best outcomes for its participants.”
TasBreeders president David Whishaw said it was great to see Magic Millions provide the local breeding industry its tick of approval and show some real confidence in the Tasmanian product, continuing the sales through to 2030.
“Importantly, it gives breeders the confidence that they need to breed this season and into the future, knowing that Magic Millions are behind them,” he said.
In addition, Mr Whishaw said the Tasbred injection of funding was well overdue but “wonderful” news.
“TasBreeders had a vision to grow the Tasbred bonus scheme to include a $20,000 Bonus on every maiden in Tasmanian, and it is excellent to see Tasracing partner with us to now achieve that vision,” he said.
“We want to support and reward those, who breed, buy and race the local product, and we’re certain that extending the TasBred bonus to every maiden race is a big step in the right direction.”
Micro-share ownership comes to Tasmania
Tasracing and MyRacehorse Australia have reached agreement for the micro-share provider to purchase a yearling at the 2026 Magic Millions yearling sale to be trained in Tasmania.
Micro-shares will be promoted to Tasmanian and interstate owners by MyRaceHorse Australia which has more than 60,000 owners, 60 horses and 10 Group 1-winning stables across Australia.
MyRacehorse Australia managing director Ben Willis said the company was excited to be partnering with Tasracing on its plan to bring more people into Tasmanian racing, both locally and from across the rest of Australia.
“We believe that one of the best ways to get people more engaged in racing is through ownership,” he said.
“The Tasmanian racing industry continues to go from strength to strength.
Tasracing has built the right foundations for a strong and sustainable racing industry, with high-quality racing experiences, industry integrity and animal welfare at the heart of everything they do.
“Additionally, Magic Millions are great partners of MyRacehorse and we look forward to continuing our relationship through the 2026 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.”
Tasracing CEO, Andrew Jenkins, said this agreement opened Tasmanian Magic Millions yearlings and Tasmanian racing in general to a new ownership market.
“It represents a simple, cost-effective way for new owners to become involved at entry-level and it complements the traditional syndication model utilised successfully by long-time Tasmanian racing supporters such as Prime Thoroughbreds and Star Thoroughbreds,” he said.
