Thoroughbred Breeding & Racing Incentives in Manitoba

Owners and breeders of Manitoba-bred thoroughbreds can participate in one of Canada’s most lucrative incentive programs per foal. Manitoba averages about 45 foals per year which are eligible for over $1.1 million in incentives, or $24,480 per foal.

“I’ve been a large buyer and breeder for a long time and benefitted a great deal from the incentive program,” commented Barry Arnason who bought last year’s CTHS Manitoba Yearling Sale topper. “As a result of the program, the breed in the province has improved so much that they are competitive all over the place. Years ago, a Manitoba bred wasn’t well regarded, but now they are thanks to several successes like Escape Clause, Hidden Grace, and Melisandre. This has led to an increase in the average sale price because the quality of the individuals is going up. There are also a number of breeders who are stepping up now with better quality mares to compete which leads to higher yearling prices and more competitive racing.”

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Here’s how you can benefit.

Sponsored Stakes

The newly-revised Manitoba Incentive Program Sponsored Stake Races offers eight races worth $310,000. Covering a variety of conditions and spanning the entire racing season, the series offers races for Manitoba-bred or Manitoba-sired 2-year-old and 3-year-old fillies and colts/geldings. Races include:

July 4 – $35,000 Hazel Wright Sire Stakes Manitoba Sired 3 Yr. Old Fillies
July 5 – $35,000 Frank Arnason Sire Stakes Manitoba Sired 3 Yr. Old Colt/Gelding
July 25 – $40,000 R.C. Anderson Stakes 3 Yr. Old Manitoba-bred Fillies
Aug 15 – $40,000 CTHS Sales Stakes for 2 Yr. Old
Aug 24 – $40,000 Phil Kives Stakes 3 & up Manitoba-bred Colt/Geldings
Sept 5 – $40,000 Buffalo Stakes Manitoba-bred 2 Yr. Olds
Sept 7 – $40,000 Distaff Stakes 3 & Up Manitoba-bred Fillies/Mares
Sept 13 – $40,000 J.W. Sifton Stakes 3 Yr. Old Manitoba-bred Colt/Geldings

The stakes series offers extra incentive to purchase Manitoba-bred or -sired horses from the CTHS Manitoba Yearlings Sale where many recent and notable winners have been acquired.

In 2021, Lucky Chuckee won both of the 2-year-old sponsored stakes: the CTHS Sales Stakes and the Buffalo Stakes. The gelding by Bird Song out of Blazing Sasha was bred by Larry Falloon and did not sell at the hammer price of $5,000, in the 2020 CTHS Manitoba Yearling Sale. He currently runs for owners Shelley Brown, Larry Falloon, & Anne Champion and already has lifetime earnings of $35,243 USD.

Melisandre was the star of the 3yo filly races last year winning both the Hazel Wright Sire Stakes and the R.C. Anderson Memorial Stakes. The filly by Going Commando out of High Pioneer was the sale topper of the 2019 CTHS Manitoba Yearling Sale selling for $25,000 and already has lifetime earnings of $116,074 USD.

The Phil Kives Stakes has been dominated for the last six year by Langara, who has won five of the six editions. Sold in the 2014 CTHS Manitoba Yearling Sale for a modest $6,000, the Langfuhr gelding has lifetime earnings of $209,004 USD.

On top of the many earning opportunities in Manitoba, all Canadian-bred horses that are sold in the CTHS Manitoba Yearling Sales are also eligible for the $ 1 million available in the other 11 Canadian Sales Stakes Series races held across the country.

Breeder & Stallion Awards

The Breeder Awards program was worth $182,700 in 2021. Awards are calculated using a point system based on the result and class of race. In 2021, the board of the CTHS-Manitoba set each point to be worth $315 and a total of 580 points were earned over the course the year. Only horses foaled in Manitoba and bred by a Manitoba resident are eligible and are paid to the breeder for the lifetime of the horses racing career. Out of province breeders are also eligible if their horse is sired by a Manitoba stallion that is registered in the Manitoba Sires Program in the year of conception.

Stallion Awards are set in the same way but with a different point scale and totalled $49,770 in 2021.

Manitoba Restricted Races

In addition to the sponsored stakes, Manitoba hosted another 44 restricted races in 2021 with a total purse money of $494,300.

Owner Awards

Owners of Manitoba-foaled racehorses are offered an extra cash incentive when their horse finishes 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a variety of races. Purse supplements paid out in 2021 totaled $38,880.

2yo Win Bonus

New for this year, the Manitoba-bred Incentive Program is offering a one-time $2,000 bonus to any Manitoba-bred that wins a race in its 2-year-old season.

Shipping Incentive

Owners are encouraged to bring their horses to Manitoba with a $2,000 shipping incentive. Mares in foal, open broodmares, and stallions are all eligible for this program that reimburses shipping charges based on paid bills of sale for horses coming from outside Manitoba and submitted to the CTHS Manitoba office for reimbursement.

Manitoba by the Numbers:

8 Sponsored Stakes – $310,000
Breeders Awards – $182,700
Stallion Awards – $49,770
Owner Awards – $38,880
44 Manitoba-bred Restricted Races – $494,300
Shipping Incentive – $24,000
2yo Win Bonus – $2,000/win
TOTAL = $1,101,650* / 45 foals = $24,480

*This represents monies available from all sources.

$1,040,000 Canadian Sales Stakes Series

Ontario Sales Stakes
Muskoka Stakes – Two-Year-Old Fillies – 6.5 Furlongs $200,000
Simcoe Stakes – Two-Year-Old C & G – 6.5 Furlongs $200,000
Elgin Stakes – Three-Year-Old Colts & Geldings – 7 Furlongs $100,000
Algoma Stakes – Three-Year-Old Fillies & Mares – 7 Furlongs $100,000

British Columbia Sales Stakes
Two-Year-Old Colts & Geldings – 6.5 Furlongs $50,000
Two-Year-Old Fillies – 6.5 Furlongs $50,000
Three & Four-Year-Old Colts & Geldings – 8.5 Furlongs $50,000
Three & Four-Year-Old Fillies & Mares – 8.5 Furlongs $50,000

Alberta Sales Stakes
Three & Four-Year-Old Fillies and Mares – 7 Furlongs $50,000
Three & Four-Year-Old Colts & Geldings – 7 Furlongs $50,000
Two-Year-Olds (colts, geldings & fillies) – 7 Furlongs $100,000

Manitoba Sales Stakes
CTHS Sales Stakes for 2 Yr. Old – 6 furlongs – $40,000

For further details on the various programs visit CTHS Manitoba Division website: www.cthsmb.ca.

Tags: CTHS Manitoba, incentive programs, Manitoba-bred thoroughbreds, owner awards, restricted races, sponsored stakes,

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Thoroughbred Breeding & Racing Incentives in Manitoba