| Q. What Can I Win With FAMIS? |
| A. FAMIS currently pays bonuses worth a minimum $5750 ($5000 to the registered raceday owner and $750 to the nominator). |
| Q. Are the bonuses "winner-take-all" or are they divided among all FAMIS-qualified placegetters in bonus races? |
| A. FAMIS-qualified winners of designated FAMIS bonus races receive 100% of the bonus: the winner takes all. |
| Q. When are entries for FAMIS taken? |
| A. Each crop of fillies has two opportunities to enter the Fillies And Mares Incentive Scheme. Early nominations of yearling fillies are taken in September and October each year (closing date is 31 October). Acceptances for these fillies must be made by 31 July in the following year, that is, just before those fillies officially turn two. Fillies that are not nominated as spring yearlings can qualify for the Scheme as late entries which must be completed by 31 July, just before their official second birthday. |
| Q. How do I save money by nominating my filly early? |
| A. The all-up late entry fee is $670 per filly. The early nomination fee is $120 per filly, and the acceptance fee is $300 per filly: a total entry fee of $420, and a saving of $250 on the late entry fee. |
| Q. What happens if I nominate a filly to the Scheme but do not meet the acceptance payment? |
| A. Your filly will not be qualified to compete for FAMIS bonuses. Only fillies for which either a nomination and an acceptance payment or a late entry has been made are qualified for the Scheme. |
| Q. Can I enter my filly in FAMIS after she turns two? |
| A. No, the last day on which she can ever be entered for the Scheme is 31 July, the day before her official second birthday. |
| Q. Does a filly have to be bred in New Zealand to qualify for the Scheme? |
| A. No, she does not have to be foaled in New Zealand to be entered for the Scheme. Any filly bred to southern hemisphere time may be entered in the Scheme. |
| Q. How long does my filly remain FAMIS-qualified? |
| A. Once she is fully-qualified for the Scheme a filly can compete for bonuses over three seasons, as a two-, three- and four-year-old, until her official fifth birthday. |
| Q. How do I enter a filly in the Fillies And Mares Incentive Scheme? |
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A. Click the Entry Form button on the navigation toolbar on the left of your screen. From August to October this will take you to a nomination form; and from May to July a late entry form will be posted. Print out the form you require, complete it and mail with payment to:
NZTBA
Private Bag 99908 Newmarket
AUCKLAND
New Zealand
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| Q. If I nominate my filly to the Scheme but subsequently lease her and she wins a FAMIS bonus race, who will receive the FAMIS bonus? |
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A. The lessee(s), that is, the registered raceday owner(s) will receive the owner's portion of the bonus (currently a minimum of $5000). You, as the nominator, will receive the nominator's portion of the bonus (currently a minimum of $750). You may, of course, make other arrangements to distribute the bonus differently but if you do, we recommend that these be written into your lease agreement.
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| Q. Is there a limit on the number of bonuses a FAMIS-qualified filly can win? |
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A. No, there is no limit on the number of bonuses a FAMIS filly can win. To 12 August 2002 28 fillies had each won two FAMIS bonuses; three fillies have won three bonuses: Honour (FAMIS crop of '91), Betty Doolin (FAMIS '96) and Simply The Best (FAMIS '99); and one filly, Perceptible (FAMIS '97) has won a record four bonuses totalling $23,000. The FAMIS bonuses on Listed Races in the South Island and on selected intermediate and progressive races do make it possible for an above-average filly to win several FAMIS bonuses.
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| Q. How are FAMIS bonus races allocated? |
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A. Races are selected by an NZTBA-appointed panel. It is the Association's policy to give qualified fillies and mares as many opportunities as possible to compete for bonuses around New Zealand. To achieve this, the NZTBA works closely with programming committees and racing clubs throughout the country to compile a schedule of FAMIS bonus races. Races are scheduled in three or four-month blocks and lists of the bonus races are published in each month's New Zealand Bloodhorse and New Zealand Racing Calendar, and are posted on the NZTBA website.
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| Q. How is each FAMIS pool funded and managed? |
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A. Each pool is funded solely by the nomination and acceptance fees paid by the nominators and owners of each crop of FAMIS-qualified fillies. The NZTBA panel actively manages each pool to ensure that, as far as possible, bonuses are spread evenly across the three years for which FAMIS fillies are eligible to compete for them. This requires constant monitoring, as the numbers of fillies and the amount of money in each pool can vary significantly, and bonuses are rarely won in a regular sequence. Hence, it may be necessary to increase or decrease the number of bonus races in a given period, in order to give each crop similar opportunities and to distribute bonus races as appropriately as possible across the three seasons for which each crop of qualified fillies can compete for bonuses.
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| Q. Who pays the administration costs of the Fillies And Mares Incentive Scheme? |
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A. FAMIS is administered and promoted by the NZTBA with funds collected from late entry fees ($250 of each $670 total late entry fee) and interest earned on each pool.
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| Q. Are FAMIS bonuses attached to any Group or Listed Stakes races in New Zealand? |
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A. FAMIS is designed principally to support stakes for lower grade races in order to encourage owners of fillies that might not otherwise have the opportunity to compete for better-than-average prizemoney. It is therefore a general policy of the NZTBA not to allocate FAMIS bonuses to Group or Listed Stakes races. An exception is made for some South Island Listed Stakes races specifically to help racing clubs attract good quality fields for these races and maintain a number of opportunities for fillies to gain black type in the South Island.
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| Q. How do I find out more about FAMIS? |
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A. Please e-mail the NZTBA Administration Manager Sally Cassels-Brown at sally@nzthoroughbred.co.nz
or call the FAMIS Hotline on 0508 222 202 (within New Zealand only).
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