Frequently Asked Questions
Would you like to download a copy of the Great British Bonus FAQs?
Together with the Terms and Conditions of Website Use (the Terms) and the Great British Bonus Scheme Rules (the Rules), these FAQs govern your registration with, and participation in, the Great British Bonus Scheme (the GBB).
About
The Great British Bonus Scheme (GBB) incentivises and rewards the breeding, buying and racing of British-bred fillies. Winning GBB-registered fillies can win up to £100,000 for their owners, breeders and other winning connections.
More than 3,000 races will be eligible for GBB in an average year, of which around 550 are fillies- or mares-only race offering maximum bonuses of £20,000.
The Great British Bonus Scheme is funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and registration fee income from owners and breeders.
By offering large bonuses on top of prize money, the Great British Bonus Scheme incentivises investment in British-bred fillies and supports the British racing programme. It also improves the demand for British-bred fillies at the sales and ensures that more fillies are tested as racehorses, thus underpinning selection for breeding on the basis of racing ability.
The Great British Bonus Scheme is an industry initiative, where an element of self-funding is integral. The larger bonuses available to owners and breeders of registered fillies would not be possible without an element of self-help.
GBB is generously funded by the HBLB, but there is a total bonus cap of £3.5 million per annum, so it is currently only affordable to offer the larger bonuses in the (approx.) 550 fillies-and mares-only races at this time. The TBA and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) have worked hard in recent years to improve the fillies-only race programme to provide greater opportunities for filly foals. While it is appropriate to reward wins by fillies in races open to both sexes, it is important not to take actions that might undermine the fillies-only programme. This is why these races will carry bigger bonuses. The only deviation from this rule is for steeplechases (more information in Jumps Bonuses).
Both registrations and bonus winnings are outside the scope of VAT. If further detail is required, please contact the scheme via email [email protected].
Eligibility
The scheme is open to GB-bred fillies on the Flat and Jumps who qualify under the following categories: 100% GBB: Foals born in GB sired by a stallion standing in GB or 50% GBB: Foals born in GB sired by a stallion standing abroad
You can visit greatbritishbonus.co.uk for further information on eligibility or use the Weatherbys Helpline number listed on the website.
Bonuses
Yes. A registered filly can win multiple bonuses in eligible races, subject to a total cap of £100,000 for 100% GBB fillies and £50,000 for 50% GBB fillies. The other limiting factor is age. On the Flat, a filly can win as a 2YO and a 3YO and in the case of staying fillies, as a 4YO. Over jumps, a mare can win up to and including the age of eight.
Bonuses are paid in the following proportions:
- 65% to the registered racing owner at the time of the filly's win*
- 10% to the registered breeder of the foal
- 10% to the registered owner at the time the yearling registration fee was paid
- 7.5% to the trainer*
- 5% to the jockey*
- 2.5% to the stable staff*
*Payable only when all three stages have been registered
Bonuses for owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff will be paid via Weatherbys, directly into relevant BHA invoice account or Weatherbys bank account. For the payment of bonuses to breeders and yearling registered owners (with General Stud Book), winners will be notified by Weatherbys within 7 days and must claim their bonus by contacting Weatherbys within 180 days of the race win. Winners must make sure registered email addresses are up to date and check junk / spam folders. If a winner has not been contacted by Weatherbys more than 7 days after the race win, winners should contact Weatherbys to claim their bonus.
Weatherbys will pay the current listed racing owner, which is not necessarily the legal owner of the filly. If a legal owner wishes to receive any bonus, this would have to be arranged between the lessor and lessee in a separate agreement.
In the event of a walkover or void race, no GBB bonus will be payable.
Flat fillies
Bonuses can be won by eligible fillies in the following Weight for Age races:
- 2YO All Class 2, 3, 4 and 5 Maiden, Novice and Conditions fillies only and Open races for 2YO and 2YO & above.
- 3YO All Class 2, 3, 4 and 5 Maiden, Novice and Conditions fillies only and Open races for 3YO and 3YO & above.
There are three registration stages for a filly to qualify for Flat-race bonuses; as a foal, as a yearling and as a two-year-old.
For fillies to qualify for Flat-race bonuses, the following dates must be met:
- Stage 1 Foal registration due by 30 September in the foal year
- Stage 2 Yearling registration due by 31 May in the yearling year
- Stage 3 Owner registration due by 28 February in the 2YO year
Jump fillies and mares
The Great British Bonus scheme is based on the same principles as apply to Flat fillies and has replaced NH MOPS, which offered smaller incentives in fewer races. GBB bonuses are available to qualified NH mares up to and including the age of eight.
Weight for Age and Handicap races, both mares-only and open to both sexes, in the following categories:
- Class 1-5: Standard NH Flat races
- Class 4: Novice Junior Hurdles
- Class 1, 2, 3 & 4: Juvenile, Novice and Maiden Hurdles
- Class 1, 2, 3 & 4: Novice and Beginner Chases
- Class 1 & 2: Hurdles not restricted to Juveniles, Novices and Maidens
- Class 1 - 2: Chases not restricted to Juveniles, Novices and Maidens
GBBPlus will allow for the inclusion of C3 & C4 Chases not restricted to Juveniles, Novices and Maidens
With the introduction of GBBPlus in January 2025, GBB has adopted a 10-20-30 bonus structure for NH mares.
Mares-only and Class 1 Open bumpers will carry a bonuses of £10,000 for 100% GBB fillies; C2 - C5 Open bumpers will carry a £5,000 bonus for 100% GBB fillies.
Mares-only Hurdles and C1 Open Hurdles will carry a bonus of £20,000 for 100% GBB fillies, C2 - C4 Open Hurdles will carry a bonus of £10,000 for 100% GBB fillies.
Both Mares-only and Open Chases covered by GBB will carry a £30,000 bonus for 100% GBB fillies.
50% GBB fillies will receive half the bonuses mentioned above.
Fillies born in 2017 and 2018 and registered for NH MOPS have been marked as fully qualified that is, all stages marked as paid. Foal and yearling stages for all foals in 2017 and 2018 will have the breeder marked as the payee in GBB.
To qualify for Jumps-race bonuses, fillies born in 2019 and beyond the following dates must be met:
- Stage 1 Foal registration due by 30 September in the foal year
- Stage 2 Yearling registration due by 31 May in the yearling year
- Stage 3 Owner registration due by 31 August in the 3YO year
Registration General
All registrations can be made on the website greatbritishbonus.co.uk or via the Weatherbys Stud Book phone line.
Stage 1 (foal registrations) will be available when the registration period opens (from 1st July).
Stage 2 and 3 registrations are available at any time after 1st July up until each stage closes. You can register for all three stages at one time no discount is offered for this.
The following fees are required to be fully paid by the dates specified above:
- Foal registration £275 for TBA members, £475 for non-TBA members*
- Yearling registration £275
- Owner registration £500
*Registrant must own at least 50% of the filly to qualify for the TBA discount. Discount codes will be given to full TBA members towards the end of June each year. A new discount code will be provided each year. Misuse of discount codes could result in the filly being removed from the scheme. TBA discount applies to stage 1 only.
Yes. A filly can be registered for both the Flat and Jumps elements of the Great British Bonus. However, registration for one does not qualify the filly for the other; two separate foal, yearling and ownership registrations have to be paid. The second fee for both foal and yearling nominations will be discounted by £50. However, the above closing dates will still apply, except that the Jumps ownership registration must be made before the filly first races in any race under the Rules of Racing (Flat and Jumps). A filly that has raced under the Rules of Racing cannot be registered for Jumps Stage 3, but can still win prizes for the registrants at the first two stages. If a filly is registered for one code, she may not switch her registration to the other after the foal registration deadline has passed.
When a registration stage has closed, it is not possible to pay the registration fee retrospectively. However, if the horse does win a GBB race, you will receive the proportion of the bonus owed to the registration stage that you have paid.
No. Refunds will not be offered for any reason.
Yes. The breeder may pay for the yearling registration earlier than the closing date.
Immediate alterations can be made to registrations only if the relevant deadline has not yet passed. Please contact the scheme or Weatherbys Helpdesk for assistance. Once a deadline has passed, you have 28 days to appeal about your registration and ask for a change to be made. No alterations can be made after these 28 days have passed.
You can visit greatbritishbonus.co.uk to check the eligibility. Click on the Register a horse button and enter the filly's name (or the dams name in the case of unnamed fillies) and the year of foaling.
No. It is not possible to enter any filly after 28 February in its two-year-old year. To enter or not is a decision that the owner of the breeze up filly must make at the 2YO closing date. If a filly is sold with a paid-up owners registration, the person selling her can expect to see an uplift in her value in the sale ring, and they will benefit from appropriate bonuses if they are the Yearling registrant.
Yes. If the filly has been bought with a foal registration fully paid, but the yearling registration not paid, then the person that is the registered owner at that point, and completes and pays for the yearling stage registration, will be eligible for appropriate bonuses.
Yes. Advanced registrations are accepted online. Please note that refunds are not offered on registration fees in any circumstances.
Late entry will only be accepted if one or more of the following conditional precedents apply:
- Access to the GBB website and the Weatherbys Helpline is not available. Should this apply, registrants must show evidence of genuine attempts to register/ call via appropriately dated emails or calls to either the TBA or Weatherbys Helpline prior to the registration deadline.
- The GBB website does not accept registration and/or payment. There must be evidence that attempts to register on the website have been made and emails or calls to TBA and Helpline prior to the deadline.
- Note that in the unlikely situation that that he GBB website does not accept registration and/or payment, you can call the Weatherbys Helpline to register and pay over the phone which must be done prior to the deadline expiring. There must be evidence that attempts to register on the website and emails or calls to TBA and Weatherbys Helpline have been made, prior to the deadline.
- Delayed foal registration to the General Stud Book and therefore the foal does not appear as eligible on GBB website. This will only apply if the delay is demonstrably outside the control of the breeder or registrant. Weatherbys should be allowed fair time to process registrations so please note that blood samples should be received by Weatherbys at least 21 days before the deadline. Covering certificates should be submitted to Weatherbys at least 7 days before deadline.
Applications for late entry must be made via email to the scheme manager with full details of the breeder/registrant, together with a short explanation of the circumstances that apply and any evidence requested.
No applications for late registration will be considered 28 days after the original closure date.
Any successful GBB registration appeal will take effect as from the registration deadline date and can only be processed by the same owner both at the time of registration and the appeal date. Registration is not transferable if between those dates ownership has changed.
Change of ownership
Yes. Should a filly change hands, the owners share of any Great British Bonus scheme win will be paid out to the registered racing owner and other connections at the time of a qualified filly's win. The share of bonuses for the foal and yearling registration stages are not affected by this and are payable to the registered General Stud Book owner at the time the registration stage is paid.
GBBPlus Flat
GBBPlus incentivises and rewards the racing breeding, buying and racing of staying fillies by awarding bonuses to 2YOs running at 8 furlongs and over and 3YOs and 4YOs running at 10 furlongs and over.
For Flat races, alongside the normal GBB bonus, GBBPLUS will offer an additional bonus of up to £20,000 for fillies whose covering fee was £50,000 or less winning:
- Class 2 -4 maiden, novice and conditions races at eight furlongs and over for two-year-olds, and at 10 furlongs and over for three-year-olds. Races that fulfil all core and extension criteria will therefore be worth up to £40,000 to a filly.
For 2-Year-olds, GBBPLUS will payout in
- nurseries eight furlongs and over
And for three- and four-year-olds, GBBPLUS will payout in
- class 2-4 handicaps at 10 furlongs and over, for which only the extension bonus would be payable, making these races worth up to £20,000 for a filly.
- seven Listed races (fillies-only, 10-furlong and over), which would offer a bonus of up to £20,000, payable in the usual GBB format but only for 100% GBB-registered fillies.
The following seven fillies-only, 10 furlong and over Listed races offer a bonus of up to £20,000. These are only payable to 100% GBB fillies.
- Daisy Warwick Fillies Stakes
- Pontefract Castle Fillies Stakes
- Aphrodite Fillies Stakes
- Chalice Fillies Stakes
- Galtres Fillies Stakes
- Beckford Fillies Stakes
- River Eden Fillies Stakes
GBB supports all breeders, particularly those operating at the midlevel of the industry. The restriction on the value of the covering fee will target support to this area. In addition, we want to encourage studs to stand more stallions that won over 10 furlongs or further, which this fee restriction will again help to support.
No, the scheme administrators will provide a list of eligible stallions each year. Individual or discounted covering fees paid by the breeder will not be considered.
GBBPLUS bonus carry the same value as core GBB bonuses. GBBPLUS bonuses will be paid out in the same way core GBB bonuses are i.e. a 100% GBB filly winning a fillies-only race would win a £20,000 bonus for her connections. This would be paid out in the same percentages as the core scheme.
GBBPlus Jumps
GBBPlus incentivises and rewards chasing mares and those running in Class 1 Hurdles and Bumpers.
While the core scheme remains the same, the value of bonuses won by mares winning steeplechases is increasing by half again. This means a 100% GBB mare will win a £30,000 bonus, while a 50% GBB mare will win a £15,000 bonus. In addition, all-sex steeplechases will now offer the same value of bonus as the mares-only chases. This is in response to the BHA's intention to cut the number of mares-only chases. GBBPlus will allow for the inclusion of C3 & C4 Chases not restricted to Juveniles, Novices and Maidens
All-sex Class 1 hurdles and NHF races will now offer the same value of bonuses as Class 1 fillies-only hurdles and NHF races.
GBBPlus General
No, any filly registered to the scheme can be eligible to win a GBBPlus bonus (provided, in the case of flat fillies, her sire stood for a fee of £50,000 or less).
A full list of eligible stallions per foal crop is available on the FAQs section of the website.