New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has confirmed a lucrative new $500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus that will be available to the first horse that wins a New Zealand-based Group 1 race in its four-year-old season, that runs in the 2026 $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m).

The initiative, designed to strengthen the domestic pathway from elite three-year-old racing into top-level four-year-old performance, will apply to the entire 2026 NZB Kiwi field, with the first eligible NZB Kiwi runner to win a New Zealand Group 1 as a four-year-old triggering the $500,000 Bonus. 

NZTR General Manager - Racing, Mitch Lamb, commented on the new initiative.

“The NZB Kiwi has quickly become one of the headline acts for our best three-year-old sprinter/milers, and now we’re putting a very real incentive on keeping those standout horses here and targeting our best races as four-year-olds,” Lamb said.

“If we want our premier weight-for-age races in New Zealand to have the highest-quality fields and drive optimal wagering outcomes - both domestically and abroad, one piece of the puzzle is incentivising our best young gallopers to stay on home soil for longer.”

To be eligible for the $500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus, a horse must be NZB Kiwi eligible as a three-year-old and be a nominated slot horse that starts in the 2026 NZB Kiwi. The Bonus will then be triggered by the first eligible 2026 NZB Kiwi runner to win any New Zealand-based Group 1 race during its four-year-old season.

The $500,000 Bonus will be shared between the key connections at the time it is won, with 50% paid to the current NZB Kiwi Slot Holder (or lessee) for the 2026 year and 50% paid to the horse’s registered ownership group at the time of the four-year-old Group 1 win. Where the horse is owned outright by the current Slot Holder, that Slot Holder will receive 100% of the Bonus as both Slot Holder and Owner. NZTR will also allocate a 10% share of the Bonus to the Trainer responsible for preparing the horse at the time of the Group 1 win in its four-year-old season.

Lamb said the rationale is straightforward: keep the best of New Zealand’s elite three-year-old performers racing on home soil at four, increase the strength of local Group 1 contests, and create a more compelling wagering product. 

“We want The NZB Kiwi to be more than a single raceday moment, we want it to be a genuine launching pad,” Lamb said.

“By making the entire NZB Kiwi field eligible, we’re sending a clear signal that we want these horses to progress to Group 1 level at four, and in turn, reward the teams who commit to that plan in New Zealand.”

How the $500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus works 

To be eligible, the horse must: 

• be NZB Kiwi eligible and a three-year-old 
• be a nominated slot horse that runs in the 2026 NZB Kiwi 
• then, in its four-year-old season (2026-27), become the first 2026 NZB Kiwi runner to win any New Zealand-based Group 1 race 

$500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus Split

The Bonus will be split: 

• 50% to the current NZB Kiwi Slot Holder or lessee (for the 2026 year), and 
• 50% to the registered owner group at the time of the horse’s Group 1 win in its four-year-old season (2026-27)
• If the horse is owned outright by a current Slot Holder, that Slot Holder will retain 100% of the Bonus (as both Slot Holder and Owner) 
• A 10% share of the Bonus will be allocated to the Trainer at the time of the horse’s first Group 1 win in its four-year-old season (2026-27)

Full Bonus terms and conditions will be released shortly.