Last term Owen scooped bonuses of over £100,000 for Deva Racing and GTS Racing shareholders after targeting the increasingly popular £1 Million Bonus Scheme innovated by Arena Racing Company (ARC) three years ago.
He had a remarkable three top 10 finishers in the Horse of the Year competition, which offers a first prize of £100,000 to the horse that earns the most points throughout the season. Deva Racing owners enjoyed two windfalls when Come On John earned £45,000 for finishing fourth and Khangai £10,000 for his 10th place finish.
There was also a £40,000 bonus for GTS Racing, courtesy of the prolific Overnight Oats, who won seven races on the All-Weather between November and March and in doing so improved his rating by a whopping 30lb.
Now, with a further cash injection into the prize pool of £150,000, Owen is more determined than ever to win his syndicates up to £40,000 a month in the monthly competitions that lead up to the crowning of the Horse of the Year come Good Friday.
“The Bonus Scheme has been a fantastic innovation,” he says. “The additional £150,000 that ARC have put into the Bonus pot and a new points system that rewards more horses for their consistency make it an even better competition.
“Last season my owners, including those involved in syndicates, followed it avidly, keeping an eye on the league tables day by day to monitor their own horses’ performances as well as other people’s. It’s created a lot of new interest and involvement in All-Weather racing.”
Owen, who targets the prize money with lowly rated horses that are open to improvement, works closely with Deva Racing’s Ryan Tongue in sourcing new talent, often from Ireland. “We’ve learned a lot from the way we campaigned our horses last winter which should stand us in good stead this time around,” he adds.
Owen trains a string of horse for Deva Racing and has attracted top syndicate companies The Rogues Gallery, Nick Bradley Racing and Value Racing among others, who will all have runners on the All-Weather this winter.
With those monthly bonus payments handed out to the top 10 horses in January, February and March/April, Owen plans to be busy right through the near six-month season after finishing second in the trainers’ championship to Tony Carroll in Season 12.
The top three will take away £40,000, £20,000 and £10,000 respectively with prizes of £4,500 down to 10th place. Meanwhile, the top three horses in October, November and December’s Horse of The Month competitions share a total pot of £35,000.
A further £50,000 boost will make the Horse of the Year competition – won by the syndicate-owned Tasever in 2024/25 – even more competitive, guaranteeing £100,000 to the top points scorer and prize money for the top 30 come Good Friday.
“It would be great to win the main award for one of my syndicates,” adds Owen. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and so are the many owners involved with the yard.”
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