NextGen

[Nelli 552]

The launch of NextGen today demonstrates yet again more half-baked ideas even though the intentions are admirable.  

1) I can see the rationale of restricting the scheme to sale horses, since NZB Standardbreds are major sponsors, but why restrict it to progeny of stallions in their 1st 3 seasons in NZ? For example, if you are after a trotter, this restricts you to a choice of just 22 horses with half by expensive stallions (a big windfall for the sellers). 

2) Why the G1 restriction on the trainers when I think what they intend is to promote young trainers. This means 21 year old Zev Meredith in his first year of training is ruled out but very successful 80+ year old Luk Chin is eligible (not that he ever needs to buy a yearling with his great breed).

3) The alternative option is having a partnership of at least 4 owners with 30+% of the people under 40 years old and who have never owned a horse before. This of course is easily achieved by adding a couple of grandchildren on the ownership papers. A nice thing to do but will it mean more owners racing more horses in the future?

I'd be interested what RaceCafers think.

[Lamour.2 61]

Thanks Nelli, I was thinking along very similar lines.   They are trying to achieve 3 specific goals with one policy. 1- increase ownership numbers 2- Promote young trainers. 3- Promote new stallions.   The first two are necessary goals but I’m not sure about the 3rd.  I believe the best way to achieve these objectives is to have specific policies for each goal rather than intertwining all 3 into one confusing & contradictory policy. 

[Lamour.2 61]

The most important part of Next gen is Increasing ownership numbers.  Increase ownership participation & you increase demand for horses & increase punting revenue.  For the policy to work we need new owners to be successful.  No fun in investing in horses that  don’t race or can’t win a race.  We want them to become repeat customers & encouraging them to buy stock from unproven stallions decreases their chance-of success, Therefore the incentive to promote new stallions runs contradictory to the goal of increasing ownership. 

[Lamour.2 61]

2 hours ago, Nelli said:

2) Why the G1 restriction on the trainers when I think what they intend is to promote young trainers. This means 21 year old Zev Meredith in his first year of training is ruled out but very successful

Tom Bamford in the same boat.  Completely agree it should be based on age or perhaps trainers with 50 wins or less.  

[Lamour.2 61]

There is normally a built in incentive to support new stallions in that they are most often a lot less expensive to breed to.  It doesn’t seem to work well however as most people want stock from stallions that give them a much better chance of success, especially at the top level. For that reason I suspect this new scheme may not be very effective.  We should not be using new owners we attract to the sport as the Guinea Pigs to find out if a new stallion will be successful or not.  Getting them to invest at all is an achievement. Let’s look after them. 

[JJ Flash 2,622]

For those that haven't seen the promo

 

HRNZ launches Next Gen : Own The Thrill

23 December 2024 , Official Notice

A new initiative is being launched by Harness Racing New Zealand to encourage new owners.

Labelled "Next Gen", the scheme's ambition is to be a game changer.

"We want people to 'Own The Thrill'," says HRNZ Chief Executive Brad Steele, who's the architect behind the project.

"We need to get new and younger people involved, convey the excitement of owning and racing a horse, and provide pathways for trainers and others making their way in our sport."

Total new additional bonuses of up to $600,000 per year will be awarded to the connections of Next Gen horses during their 2YO season.

Critical to the Next Gen scheme are the NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sales at Karaka (Auckland) on Saturday, February 15 and at Christchurch on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.

Horses must be purchased there and then certain criteria have to be met.

Three qualifying criteria :

Sire :

The yearling bought at the above-mentioned NZB sales must be sired by a stallion with his first, second or third New Zealand crop.

In 2025 the Next-Gen eligible yearlings must be sired by :

Bettor's Wish
King Of Swing
Bird Parker
On A Streak
Zenith Stride
McWicked
Tall Dark Stranger
Bold Eagle
Elite Stride
Propulsion
Timoko
Captain Crunch
Lather Up
Stay Hungry
Face Time Bourbon
Ultimate Sniper

To be Next Gen eligible one of the following criteria also has to be met :  

Trainer

No member of the horse's training partnership can have won a Group 1 Race as of January 1, 2025.  

Or

Ownership

Ownership Groups must comprise at least four people, where the horse is owned 30% or more by people who are born after 1984 or have never previously been registered HRNZ owners.

To incentivise owners to get involved there will be lucrative Next Gen bonuses.

Yearlings bought at the sales are eligible for the three Harness Million races - Colts and Geldings, Fillies and Trotters.

A $50,000 bonus ($35,000 will go to the owner, $10,000 to the trainer and $5000 to the breeder) will be awarded to the first Next Gen eligible horse across the line in each of those three races.

A $5000 2YO Second Start bonus ($4000 to the owner, $1000 to the trainer) will also be awarded to any Next Gen eligible horses that have two race day starts during their 2YO season.

To be eligible for the Second Start bonus the yearling must be purchased at the NZB Sales and sired by a Next Gen sire OR it must be a yearling (regardless of sire) purchased at the sales and trained by a non Group 1-winning trainer.

This will be capped at 90 horses, with a total payout of $450,000 per year.

FAQs :

1. How's Next Gen funded?
HRNZ is very proud to be working alongside partners TAB NZ and NZB Standardbred in fully funding this scheme. Funding has been secured for next 3 years.

2. Who will administer the Next Gen scheme?
It will be run by HRNZ, and they will be responsible for all eligibility enquiries, administration, payments etc. HRNZ's Head of Racing and Wagering Matthew Peden will be the first point of contact for any queries. He is at [email protected].

3. Do you need to pre-register for the scheme, and if so, how?
It is preferred to have people pre-register their interest but if you have a bought a yearling you can contact HRNZ after the sale and as long as the eligibility criteria are met you can be part of the Next Gen scheme. 

4. Where do you get more information?
The HRNZ website will have a designated Next Gen page and there will be regular updates there and on HRNZ's social media channels. HRNZ will also be on course at race meetings with an information booth to explain the Next Gen scheme. The dates and locations will be published on the website and social media channels closer to the time.

5. How long are horses involved in Next Gen?
Horses bought at the sales will only be eligible for Next Gen during their 2YO seasons.

6. Do you need to have an ownership group or a trainer in place before you buy a yearling at the sales?
No, you can buy a yearling and then sort out those logistics later. As long as the criteria are met before the horse races you will be Next Gen eligible.

7. How does the eligibility criteria work to get the Harness Million Bonus?
You have to meet two of the criteria. You must buy a yearling from the sales from an eligible sire and then you have to met one of the other two criteria, either through the ownership group or by using a non Group 1-winning trainer.

8. How can you tell if a horse is Next Gen eligible?
At the sales all Next Gen eligible horses will have a special sticker on them alerting prospective buyers. NZB will also make people aware at the time the horse goes through the sales ring.

9. What does success look like for this scheme?
We want to see people getting enthused about new ownership and racing opportunities in our sport and we want yearling buyers to place their horses with emerging trainers. From an ownership and training perspective it's all about widening the net and providing more opportunities for everyone.

10. Is this a one off and can you imagine the scheme will become a regular feature of the NZB Sales?
Our intention is for it to become a long term scheme that will see new owners get involved in the sport. As mentioned funding has been secured for next three years. We think the scheme has real potential and that 2025 will be the start of something very positive for the sport.

[Lamour.2 61]

I sincerely hope it’s a raging success & I’m proven wrong but it seems a bit complicated & contrived to me. That’s just my opinion. Something needs to be done to attract new owners for sure but I would prefer a stand alone scheme.  Maybe if someone takes a share in a horse that hadn’t owned one in the past 10 years they get a bonus if the horse wins. It could be restricted to horses from the yearling sales but no restriction on its breeding. 
 

[Deep Sooth 99]

I can't believe that they pay people six figure salaries to come up with these scatter-brained schemes!

The generation they're trying to attract don't give a rats arse about any convoluted bonus scheme. or how many seasons a stallion has been at stud, or who has trained a group one winner, or the mix of ages in the ownership, or anything else that these idiots think matters!

In case they've been living under a rock for the past couple of decades, everything, particularly for the younger generation revolves around the word "social" .... social media, socialising, social groups, social connections, social experiences, social events, social networks etc etc etc

And that's what racing used to provide, and still does a few times a year for well organised events, but in general the social aspect of the raceday has disappeared. The spectacle has been reduced to a few minutes on the track ... which you can get on TV, so there's no incentive to be on course.

Canterbury on a Sunday is living proof that the interest is still there when the harness racing product is packaged as a social event for all to enjoy. 

Until the racedays are turned back into a social spectacle, with horses being paraded for much longer, the birdcage being a focus, drivers being promoted, sharp drink prices and good food options, all these scatter brained schemes are a total waste of time.

This, and all the stupid schemes before it are nothing more than shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic!

What's needed is a massive and immediate shift to socialising the raceday experience, and counting how many seasons a stallion has been at stud, or competing for an illusive ownership bonus in a couple of years time won't achieve that.

Now where to I go to collect my six figure salary?

[CeeMeNow 371]

2 hours ago, Lamour.2 said:

I sincerely hope it’s a raging success & I’m proven wrong but it seems a bit complicated & contrived to me. That’s just my opinion. Something needs to be done to attract new owners for sure but I would prefer a stand alone scheme.  Maybe if someone takes a share in a horse that hadn’t owned one in the past 10 years they get a bonus if the horse wins. It could be restricted to horses from the yearling sales but no restriction on its breeding. 
 

Have only glanced over this initiative, but agree with your opinion.

HRNZ have no right to push certain sires with financial incentives, at the expense of others, those sires are not at the top of our winners lists or sales results, so they want to attract new people entering the industry to start with less chance of success? 

[Charlie E 667]

Another nail in the coffin for Harness racing in the north 

[Charlie E 667]

2 hours ago, Deep Sooth said:

I can't believe that they pay people six figure salaries to come up with these scatter-brained schemes!

The generation they're trying to attract don't give a rats arse about any convoluted bonus scheme. or how many seasons a stallion has been at stud, or who has trained a group one winner, or the mix of ages in the ownership, or anything else that these idiots think matters!

In case they've been living under a rock for the past couple of decades, everything, particularly for the younger generation revolves around the word "social" .... social media, socialising, social groups, social connections, social experiences, social events, social networks etc etc etc

And that's what racing used to provide, and still does a few times a year for well organised events, but in general the social aspect of the raceday has disappeared. The spectacle has been reduced to a few minutes on the track ... which you can get on TV, so there's no incentive to be on course.

Canterbury on a Sunday is living proof that the interest is still there when the harness racing product is packaged as a social event for all to enjoy. 

Until the racedays are turned back into a social spectacle, with horses being paraded for much longer, the birdcage being a focus, drivers being promoted, sharp drink prices and good food options, all these scatter brained schemes are a total waste of time.

This, and all the stupid schemes before it are nothing more than shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic!

What's needed is a massive and immediate shift to socialising the raceday experience, and counting how many seasons a stallion has been at stud, or competing for an illusive ownership bonus in a couple of years time won't achieve that.

Now where to I go to collect my six figure salary?

Got to agree why they pay these people . Back in the day many horses had one owner , sometimes two mainly . So what about bonuses ?  its obvious which trainers are most likely to get these . This hair brain scheme is not going to work , what they need is to increase the numbers and not concentrate on Syndicates that's not going to work with the low stakes . Its about time someone told them these are standardbreds not thoroughbreds who can reap the higher returns 

[Alicia Harrison 38]

Think there are good aspects to this as a young person in the game. Unfortunately as someone looking to start getting a few of my own to train in the next few years I have actually bought a broodmare and bred to On A Streak & I know a couple of friends who have also bred their own or bought weanlings at the weanling sale. And now have to buy from the sales by one of these sires to be eligible. I think it would be better if it was eligible to both breeders and sales buyers in the age range etc. I was planning on getting a few of my friends outside of racing and young girls into my filly if she shapes up alright.

 

But definitely don’t have the money to go to the sales and buy another one especially by a currently unproven sire. But at least they are doing something to try to get more young people in the game and incentive for them to purchase their own horse/ get friends and families into a syndicate 

[Charlie E 667]

1 hour ago, Alicia Harrison said:

Think there are good aspects to this as a young person in the game. Unfortunately as someone looking to start getting a few of my own to train in the next few years I have actually bought a broodmare and bred to On A Streak & I know a couple of friends who have also bred their own or bought weanlings at the weanling sale. And now have to buy from the sales by one of these sires to be eligible. I think it would be better if it was eligible to both breeders and sales buyers in the age range etc. I was planning on getting a few of my friends outside of racing and young girls into my filly if she shapes up alright.

 

But definitely don’t have the money to go to the sales and buy another one especially by a currently unproven sire. But at least they are doing something to try to get more young people in the game and incentive for them to purchase their own horse/ get friends and families into a syndicate 

It's not really fair for you Alicia . Its like telling people which supermarkets you can only shop at to buy your food . With breeding etc who cares where the winners come from .

[2Piper 429]

On 12/23/2024 at 7:12 PM, Lamour.2 said:

Thanks Nelli, I was thinking along very similar lines.   They are trying to achieve 3 specific goals with one policy. 1- increase ownership numbers 2- Promote young trainers. 3- Promote new stallions.   The first two are necessary goals but I’m not sure about the 3rd.  I believe the best way to achieve these objectives is to have specific policies for each goal rather than intertwining all 3 into one confusing & contradictory policy. 

They had the third one covered with the NZ Bred  scheme, but chucked it in the bin after only a year  .Again Sky Major with his reduced fee will get numbers , Royal Apiarations on the trotters side but little else cheap.

[Nelli 552]

The original NZ bred scheme rewarded random breeders for decisions they made 5+ years previously and while a nice unexpected bonus to the lucky few, made little impact on current breeding or ownership decisions. HRNZ and Entain want to ensure plenty of horses to fill future fields. But why should they encourage breeders or buyers to acquire progeny by a particular group of stallions over another? IMO this is the studs and maybe NZB's business. However, if there is a clear measurable pathway to enhancement of owner numbers and betting interest,  then jointly funded bonus scheme race series may be effective, whether for NZ-bred, unproven or below a $5K  service fee