Weanlings Provide Next Gen Opportunities

24 June 2025

HRNZ’s Next Gen scheme is the latest incentive on offer to boost ownership and harness racing in New Zealand, and provides up to $600,000 in bonuses. 

Funded by the TAB, NZB Standardbred and HRNZ, the bonuses are available to certain horses and ownership groups that meet the criteria, designed to support emerging talent and attract new participants to harness racing.  

There are two key bonuses with $600,000 total on offer over the next three years, split between the Harness Million 2YO races and a two-year-old second start bonus, with payouts split between the owner, trainer and breeder. 

There are three ways for horses to qualify for the bonuses, the first being a weanling is sired by a first or second crop stallion, making 19 weanlings in the upcoming 2025 National Weanling Sale automatically eligible for the scheme.  

Another way to qualify, is to buy any weanling sale from the 2025 NZB Standardbred Weanling Sale, and have it trained by a Next Gen trainer, that is, any trainer who has not trained a Group One winner as of 1 January 2025. 

The third way to qualify a horse for the Next Gen bonuses is to buy any weanling from the 2025 NZB Standardbred Weanling Sale and race with an ownership group of at least four people, where the horse is owned 30% or more by people who are born after 1984 or have never previously been registered with HRNZ as owners. 

All weanlings purchased, regardless of the qualifying method, must be nominated for the Harness Million Series, in order to be eligible for the Harness Million-specific bonuses. 

To be eligible for the Second Start bonus the weanling must be purchased at any NZB Standardbred eligible sale and meet the Next Gen Sire, Trainer, or Owner criteria. 

Bonuses for Next Gen weanlings: 
•    A $50,000 bonus is awarded to the highest-finishing Next Gen-eligible horse in each of the three Harness Million 2YO races, with $35,000 to the owner, $10,000 to the trainer, and $5,000 to the breeder. 
•    A $5,000 bonus is also awarded after a horse’s second race-day start as a two-year-old, with $4,000 to the owner and $1,000 to the trainer, available to the first 90 eligible horses to qualify. 

2025 National Weanling Sale eligible sires who automatically qualify for Next Gen Series: 
 

  • Dancinginthedark M 
  • Ecurie D  
  • E L Titan 
  • Face Time Bourbon 
  • King of the North 
  • Pebble Beach 
  • Perfect Sting 
  • Ride High 


Check out the full list of eligible Next Gen-Sired weanlings here.  

These weanlings are already qualified for the Next Gen bonuses being by first, second and third crop sires, with no additional partnerships or registrations required.  

For more information on Next Gen, check out HRNZ’s website here. 

For more information about the Sale or supplementary lots, contact NZB Standardbred Manager Cam Bray by calling +64 21 737 199 or email [email protected].  View the 89-lot catalogue online here.