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In 1971, additional racing dates were awarded to all of the 

 commercial tracks and for the first time we now have Sunday 

 racing. This, we hope, will mean additional revenue for the 

 Commonwealth. It will certainly mean the need for additional 

 horses. In recent years it has been a problem to get sufficient 

 numbers of horses to fill races in this area. We feel that the 

 Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeding Incentive Program will help 

 to alleviate this condition and solve part of the problem. 

 Under the Incentive Program a cash stipend equal to 20% of the 

 first, second and third place prize money is awarded by the 

 Department of Agriculture to the breeders of Massachusetts bred 

 horses finishing 1,2 or 3 in any given race in the Bay State. 

 There is an additional bonus of 5% to the owners of the stallion 

 who sired these Massachusetts bred winners providing said stallion 

 stood in the Commonwealth. The money to finance this program 

 comes from the Agricultural Purposes Fund. The Thoroughbred Breed- 

 ing Program helps to defray some of the expenses incurred by 

 breeders. This also enables them to purchase and maintain better 

 mares and to be more selective in their choice of stallions. We 

 now have 27 registered thoroughbred stallions and 93 breeders who 

 bred 155 mares this past breeding season. In addition there were 

 mares bred out of state to better class stallions and shipped back 

 into the Commonwealth to foal. We should have a record number of 

 thoroughbred foals this spring. It is generally conceded by 

 thoroughbred breeders that "Class begets Class ! " . In the final 

 analysis better horses mean better racing, and better racing means 

 more revenue to the Commonwealth. Massachusetts foaled horses are 

 now enjoying wide acclaim in the thoroughbred world. The increasing 

 number of winners is evidence of the success of the Massachusetts 

 breeders and we feel that the Breeding Fund Program will give them 

 the incentive they need to continue in the horse industry of the 

 Commonwealth. We would like to maintain and protect this revenue 

 and enlarge its scope if possible. 



