CLOSE to 4,000 horses have been registered for the Plus 10 yearling bonus scheme since its launch in late July, say the organsisers.

The first major deadline for the new scheme is September 30th – the final day when eligible foals born in 2013 and 2014 must be registered to remain in the programme.

Plus 10 is a £5.5 million bonus scheme which will see eligible two and three-year-old horses race for £10,000 bonuses across more than 550 races staged in Britain and Ireland.

For a horse to be eligible, it must be paid-up across three registration stages – foal, yearling and owner.

Once a nominated horse wins a bonus race, the payers of the foal and yearling registration fees will each receive 10% of the £10,000 bonus, with the payer of the third fee (the owner) to receive 75% of the bonus.

The remaining 5% will be paid out to the stable staff, trainer and jockey associated with the winning horse.

The deadline for the yearling registration fee is December 15th in a horse’s yearling year and the deadline for the owner registration fee is March 31st in a horse’s two-year-old season.

Plus 10 committee chairman Julian Richmond-Watson is urging breeders and pinhookers to act now to ensure their 2013 and 2014 born foals have every opportunity to compete for the £10,000 bonuses.

“Plus 10 will be an expansive and attractive scheme once fully operational and for a horse to remain eligible to win the rich £10,000 bonuses, it must have been paid up to each registration stage by their respective payment deadlines,” he said.

“After October 1st there will be no allowance for retrospectively making foal registration payments and, therefore, it is particularly important breeders and pinhookers with eligible horses pay now before it is too late.

“We have witnessed strong support for the scheme to date and I would like to thank those who have already commenced the Plus 10 journey and wish anyone consigning at an upcoming sale, a favourable result.”

The bonus scheme allows for pinhookers to pay the foal registration fee of horses which were sold before the scheme launched and are eligible for the scheme – for example 2013 foals which were sold at foal sales at the end of 2013.

People who purchase horses at breeze-up sales staged in April and May 2015, will have a two-week window to fully qualify their purchase by paying the final owner registration fee.

For a horse to be eligible to compete for Plus 10 bonuses all three registration payments must be made by the aforementioned deadlines. There will be no refunds for payments made on horses which are not fully qualified.