NEW BREEDERS FUND REGISTRATION FEES

If you are a member of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, your registration fees to participate in the Virginia Breeders Fund will continue to be the lowest in the Mid-Atlantic.  However, non-members will soon be paying higher registration fees as is the case in Maryland and other states as well.

The fee structure will remain the same for VTA members, but it will increase by $100 per category for non-members. Current VTA dues start at $75 per year.

Category                     VTA Member Fee                   Non VTA Member Fee

Foal                                         $25                                          $125

Yearling                                   $50                                          $150

Two-Year-Old and Up          $200                                        $300

Stallions                                   $100                                        $200

“I don’t want our members to have to spend another penny to participate in the program,” said Glenn Petty, Executive Director of the VTA, “but each year folks are awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars and they aren’t helping our efforts to build the Breeders Fund or to expand racing days and purses here in Virginia. We are just asking everybody to pitch in.”

“It’s not about the money, it’s about more folks being involved in our efforts to make the industry bigger and better.  We are at a serious competitive disadvantage as a result of the political environment here Virginia and many legislators negative views on pari-mutuel wagering and horse racing, so we need as many people pushing the boulder up the hill as we can get. If you can come to Virginia and earn a $15,000 bonus for winning a MSW, you should be willing to support our industry with a membership in the VTA.”

The new fees were approved by the Virginia Racing Commission Breeders Fund Thoroughbred Task Force that is made up of breeders, VA HBPA members and Colonial Downs. The entire VRC approved the changes unanimously at their January meeting.

The new fees will take effect on March 27, 2012.