Westspeed

To be eligible for Westspeed, a horse must be either:

• Born by a sire standing in WA at the time the dam is served (WA sired); or
• Born by any sire AND is either:
  • from a mare who was at least 50% owned by a WA based Breeder at the time of conception, as recorded by the Australian Stud Book (Interstate sired); or
  • from a mare who was served by a WA based sire in the season immediately following the yearlings conception (Breed back)

Breeders and Owners of Westspeed nominated horses will receive the below bonuses in races conducted at TAB race meetings in WA.

Foals born from 2018 onwards, the following bonuses are applicable:

• Wins and placings by all participating two-year-olds (2YOs) and 3YOs
• Wins and placings by all participating 4YOs over a distance of 1750m or further
• Westspeed Platinum participating 4YOs receive 50% of the bonus amount for all wins and placings recorded in races of less than 1750m
• Westspeed Standard participating 4YOs receive 50% of the bonus amount for their first career win only if that race is less than 1750m

* Includes $2,000 Magic Millions Perth sales credit which must be redeemed within 18-months of the race meeting the credit was accrued at.
NB. The above amounts are inclusive of the jockey/trainer portions (total 9% deduction), as such Breeders and Owners receive 91% of the amount noted above.

Foals born in 2017 or earlier, the following bonuses are applicable:

• Wins by participating 2YOs and 3YOs
• Wins by participating 4YOs over a distance of 1750m or further
• 50% of bonus amounts for participating 4YOs first career wins in races less than 1750m

NB. From 16 March 2019 when RWWA joined the Racing Australia national computer system, Westspeed bonuses advertised include the trainer and jockey portion, i.e. from the above amounts 91% is paid to the Owner, 6% is paid to the Trainer and 3% is paid to the Jockey.

Trainers and Riders

Trainers and riders are also beneficiaries of the scheme. They receive a bonus of 6% (Trainer) and 3% (Jockey) of the total advertised bonus awarded to the Breeder and Owner of all Westspeed winners and placegetters.

Nomination Process
To formally nominate a horse to be a Westspeed participant: 

1. The Breeder must begin the process during a horse’s yearling (one year old) season by lodging a Westspeed Breeder Nomination Form with RWWA.

2. Only once the Breeder has lodged the Westspeed Breeder Nomination Form, the Owner of the yearling (who may be the Breeder themselves) has the option of lodging an Owner Nomination Form to make the horse fully Westspeed nominated.

There is no obligation for the Owner of a Breeder Nominated yearling to participate in Westspeed. Should they elect not to, the horse will remain a “Breeder Only” nomination and only that portion of the bonus will be paid in the event of eligible wins.

The Owners of yearlings that have not been Breeder Nominated do not have the option of Westspeed participation at any level.

Nomination Fees
Please note that not all fees listed below are applicable. Dependent on the yearling’s eligibility noted above, the Breeder and Owner will be required to pay the following fee/s (total fee includes GST):

* If the Owner Nomination Fee is not paid as a yearling and payment is later made for the 4YO Extension, the horse only becomes eligible for 50% bonuses in races less than 1750m as a 4YO.

** 4YO Extension for Platinum Horses Only (Early Fee) must be paid at the same time the horse is initially Owner Nominated for Westspeed as a yearling.

*** 4YO Extension for Platinum Horses Only (Late Fee) is payable as a 2YO and must be received by 4pm on 30 June 2021. This is only available if the horse was also Breeder Nominated as a yearling.

Westspeed Platinum is an exciting extension to Westspeed that provides substantial additional benefits to Owners introduced from the 2013 breeding season.

Eligibility
Horses by nominated sires are automatically eligible to be part of Westspeed Platinum. To see whether your horse is eligible, please click here.

Bonuses

Nomination and Fees
All foals born in 2014 who were by a WA based sire were automatically part of Westspeed Platinum in its inaugural year.

Now in subsequent years, stallion Owners are required to nominate their stallion for Westspeed Platinum in each breeding season at a cost of $5,000 (exc. GST) or the advertised service fee – whichever is the greater amount.

To nominate a stallion for Westspeed Platinum, please complete the ‘Westspeed Stallion Nomination Form’.

Racing and Wagering Western Australia is supporting race winning mares in Western Australia through the initiative Westspeed EPONA – a WA mares credit scheme. This initiative is designed to inject new life into the WA Thoroughbred breeding industry.

• Westspeed EPONA

Yearlings Bred and Retained
Breeders are welcome to consider Westspeed participation with any eligible yearlings which they are intending to retain and race. The Breeder must lodge the Breeder Nomination Form during a horse’s yearling season, and may further lodge the Owner Nomination Form (also during its yearling season) to make the horse fully Westspeed nominated. By doing so, the Breeder and Owner are entitled to receive all Breeder and Owner bonuses for eligible wins.

Yearlings Sold or Bought at a Public Sale
A Breeder offering an eligible yearling for sale at a public auction, and intending it to be a Westspeed lot, can nominate the yearling on the Sales Nomination Form.

If accepted for the sales, this horse then carries the Westspeed logo in the sales catalogue. For all Westspeed lots which are sold, the Sales Company will deduct the Breeder Nomination Fee from the sale proceeds and forward it directly to RWWA.

Purchasers of all Westspeed yearlings then have the option to nominate them for the Owner’s aspect of the scheme. It should be noted that:

• Any yearlings that go through the sale as a Westspeed lot, but no sale is effected, can still participate in the scheme. They will just need to be nominated privately as described below.
• Any yearling that goes through the yearling sale as a non-Westspeed nominated horse cannot later be nominated for the scheme following the sales by Breeder or Owner.

Yearlings Sold or Acquired Privately
Eligible yearlings that have been sold or acquired privately, either as yearlings, weanlings or in utero, are also eligible for nomination to the scheme.

A yearling must be Breeder nominated in order for the Owner to have the option of participating. The registered Breeder of the horse, as per the Australian Stud Book, must be given first option to lodge that Breeder nomination.

Should an Owner wish to participate with an eligible yearling which has not been Breeder nominated, the registered Breeder must contact RWWA to either:

1. Pay the Breeder Nomination Fee (and receive any Breeder Bonuses won) and facilitate the participation of the new Owner.

2. Provide written permission for the new Owner to lodge the Breeder Nomination as well as the Owner Nomination Fee, and thus receive both components of any bonuses the horse may win in the future.

3. Do nothing, in which case an Owner Nomination cannot be accepted and the horse in question will be omitted from the scheme. 

Breeder

The entity registered as the yearlings Westspeed Breeder Nominator remains unchanged throughout its career. As such, the Breeder receives that portion of all bonuses won throughout that horse’s career, regardless of any change in ownership or lease arrangement.

Owner – Lease

If a fully nominated Westspeed horse is leased, the original Owner (lessor) retains the right to the Owner portion of any bonuses won during the period of the lease, i.e. lessees do not receive any portion of the Westspeed bonus. The parties may adhere to a special clause to negotiate alternative arrangements to this, however RWWA will continue to pay the full Owner Bonus to the lessor who will then deal privately with the lessee to satisfy the agreement.

Owner – Sale

Westspeed payments have historically been made to the current registered owner/s of a horse, irrespective of the person or entity who may have invested in breeding the horse or its initial purchase at the yearling sale, and paid the nomination fee to be part of the scheme. Whilst this default position has not been altered, RWWA has now introduced a process providing for outgoing owners to retain Westspeed bonuses following the thoroughbred being sold, in negotiation with the purchasers. Please see the form Westspeed Freezing Payments to Ownership Group to apply.

For more information, please contact RWWA on (08) 9445 5277 or email racing@rwwa.com.au.