New bonus plan for England, Ireland

Yearling sellers in Great Britain and Ireland have launched a scheme that will pay bonuses of about $16,400 to yearling buyers if their purchases go on to win designated races.

The scheme also has media sponsorship from the Racing Post, Britain's daily racing newspaper.

Under the plan, yearling sellers will pay about $820 in two stages to nominate their horses for the Racing Post Bonus program. Buyers will contribute approximately another $410, to maintain each horse's nomination in the program. Six auction houses also will add contributions of 10 percent of the vendor's contribution for each yearling they sell.

British and Irish sellers hope the contributions will create a pool of about $3 million for distribution in 2010 in as many as 200 designated maiden races. The ultimate number of races offering the bonus will be dependent on how much money is raised through seller and buyer nominations. Under the plan, 90 percent of the contributions collected will be paid out in juvenile races in Britain, Ireland, and overseas, with the remaining 10 percent set for bonuses in 3-year-old races in 2011.

Any yearling entered in a British or Irish sale between Aug. 1 and Dec. 15 is eligible for nomination. Nomination information, including deadlines, is available at www.racingpost.com/

yearlingbonus.

* Tattersalls sale company in England will offer about $2,870,000 in its future Tattersalls Millions race series for its October Book 1 yearling sale graduates. The eight-race series includes both juvenile and 3-year-old races and will feature purses between approximately $164,000 and $820,000. Entry costs have been reduced by a third to about $6,560.