Pearl Series Deadline Tomorrow

The New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Series entries close on Wednesday 31 July. This is the last chance to nominate your yearling filly for the lucrative bonus series. Two-year-old fillies catalogued for the upcoming NZB South Island Sale of 2YOs and Mixed Bloodstock are still eligible for nomination before Saturday 31 August.

The scheme is administrated by New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association with New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance the primary sponsor of the series.

Early bird nominations closed at the end of March with the NZTBA receiving an overwhelming response with 545 fillies registered.

“We are really pleased with the response that we have had from members, breeders, owners and trainers. They can all see the benefit of racing for what is in some cases literally double the stake money, and they have been quick to come on board,” said Michael Martin, CEO of NZTBA.

The Pearl Series will be run over three years across 215 individual races, offering bonuses to entrants in their 2YO, 3YO and 4YO seasons. Fillies and mares will race for up to $2.8 million in stakes money and $2.6 million in bonuses throughout New Zealand.

A super bonus of $100,000 will be placed on the 2014 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas for horses nominated in the Pearl Series that are also insured with NZB Insurance from the time of nomination and throughout the 2014/15 racing season. This bonus will only be paid if the winning horse meets these requirements.

The scheme will benefit all owners, trainers and breeders in New Zealand. Bonuses will be split between the owner, the trainer and the nominator.

Bonus races will be held on allocated fillies and mares races throughout the three seasons. There will be 20 Saturday races carrying a $20,000 bonus, 180 midweek races carrying an $11,500 bonus along with 15 open 2YO races carrying an $8,000 bonus available to nominated fillies.

Pearl Series races will be open to all fillies and mares but bonuses will only be paid to the winner if nominated for the scheme.  

The response already received by NZTBA indicates that owners, trainers and breeders can all see the benefits of the Pearl Series.

“With the sponsorship from New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance and the programming by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing we have developed the series to help encourage owners to race their fillies and the fact that we have so many fillies enrolled tells us we are on the right track. However we know that there are still a few more fillies out there that are eligible and it would be a shame if they missed out enrolling them before July 31,” commented Martin.

All owners of fillies born in 2011 are encouraged to be a part of the Pearl Series. The scheme is designed to encourage ownership in New Zealand whilst strengthening the racing and breeding industries. With the value of bonuses on offer the Pearl Series is an opportunity New Zealand owners should not miss out on.

If you have an eligible filly and would like more information on the Pearl Series, click here.

To download a nomination form from NZTBA’s website, click here.