The American
Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association has
deemed 112 races in 2013 worthy of Grade 1 status. When the 13 Grade 1 Breeders Cup races which
vary by location, distance, and surface are removed, there are 99 Grade 1 races
left. These 99 races are supposed to
represent the best of American racing.
In theory, breeders should be striving to breed horses to win these
races. Accordingly, the horses that win these
races should be the best horses for breeding the next generation of Grade 1
horses. However, given the decline in domestic
foal crops from 37,775 in 2000 to 24,700 in 2012, 112 grade 1 races dilutes the
prestige and worth of a “grade 1 race.”
To increase the
prestige of winning a Grade 1 race I thought it would be interesting experiment
to downgrade ten percent of the non-Breeders Cup Grade 1 races. These ten races would become Grade 2 races in
2014. Then in 2015, ten percent of Grade 2 races would be downgraded and so
on. But, one cannot downgrade ten races
without (i) reviewing all of the 99 races sorted by track, surface, and
distance and (ii) considering what it means to win that particular race in the
context of the breed. A chart of these
99 Grade 1 races sorted by track, surface, and distance is below and provides the
target of what American breeders should be trying to produce each spring. Unfortunately, the list of races shows that
the target is primarily dirt and steadily decreasing in distance.
|
Race
|
Track
|
Surface
|
Distance in Furlongs
|
Restrictions
|
|
Beverly D. S.
|
AP
|
T
|
9.5
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Arlington Million S.
|
AP
|
T
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Secretariat S.
|
AP
|
T
|
10
|
3YO
|
|
Carter H.
|
AQU
|
D
|
7
|
3UP
|
|
Cigar Mile H.
|
AQU
|
D
|
8
|
3UP
|
|
Resorts World Casino New
York City Wood Memorial S.
|
AQU
|
D
|
9
|
3YO
|
|
Vosburgh Invitational S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
6
|
3UP
|
|
Foxwoods Champagne S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
8
|
2YO
|
|
Frizette S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
8
|
2YO F
|
|
Metropolitan H.
|
BEL
|
D
|
8
|
3UP
|
|
Tvg Acorn S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
8
|
3YO F
|
|
Mother Goose S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
8.5
|
3YO F
|
|
Ogden Phipps H.
|
BEL
|
D
|
8.5
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Beldame Invitational S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
9
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Tvg Jockey Club Gold Cup
Invitational S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Belmont S.
|
BEL
|
D
|
12
|
3YO
|
|
Longines Just A Game S.
|
BEL
|
T
|
8
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Garden City S.
|
BEL
|
T
|
9
|
3YO F
|
|
Jamaica H.
|
BEL
|
T
|
9
|
3YO
|
|
Flower Bowl Invitational S.
|
BEL
|
T
|
10
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Woodford Reserve Manhattan
H.
|
BEL
|
T
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Man O' War S.
|
BEL
|
T
|
11
|
3UP
|
|
Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
Invitational S.
|
BEL
|
T
|
12
|
3UP
|
|
Humana Distaff S.
|
CD
|
D
|
7
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Clark H.
|
CD
|
D
|
9
|
3UP
|
|
Kentucky Oaks
|
CD
|
D
|
9
|
3YO F
|
|
Stephen Foster H.
|
CD
|
D
|
9
|
3UP
|
|
Kentucky Derby Presented By
Yum! Brands
|
CD
|
D
|
10
|
3YO
|
|
Woodford Reserve Turf
Classic S.
|
CD
|
T
|
12
|
3UP
|
|
Princess Rooney H.
|
CRC
|
D
|
6
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Delaware H.
|
DEL
|
D
|
10
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Bing Crosby S.
|
DMR
|
S
|
6
|
3UP
|
|
Del Mar Debutante S.
|
DMR
|
S
|
7
|
2YO F
|
|
Del Mar Futurity
|
DMR
|
S
|
7
|
2YO
|
|
Clement L. Hirsch S.
|
DMR
|
S
|
8.5
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Tvg Pacific Classic S.
|
DMR
|
S
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Del Mar Oaks
|
DMR
|
T
|
9
|
3YO F
|
|
Eddie Read S.
|
DMR
|
T
|
9
|
3UP
|
|
Florida Derby
|
GP
|
D
|
9
|
3YO
|
|
Donn H.
|
GP
|
D
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Gulfstream Park Turf H.
|
GP
|
T
|
9
|
3UP
|
|
Triple Bend H.
|
HOL
|
S
|
7
|
3UP
|
|
Cashcall Futurity
|
HOL
|
S
|
8.5
|
2YO
|
|
Hollywood Starlet S.
|
HOL
|
S
|
8.5
|
2YO F
|
|
Vanity H.
|
HOL
|
S
|
9
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Hollywood Gold Cup H.
|
HOL
|
S
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Matriarch S.
|
HOL
|
T
|
1
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Shoemaker Mile S.
|
HOL
|
T
|
8
|
3UP
|
|
Gamely S.
|
HOL
|
T
|
9
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Hollywood Derby
|
HOL
|
T
|
10
|
3YO
|
|
American Oaks S.
|
HOL
|
T
|
10
|
3YOF
|
|
Vinery Madison S.
|
KEE
|
S
|
7
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Central Bank Ashland S.
|
KEE
|
S
|
8.5
|
3YO F
|
|
Darley Alcibiades S.
|
KEE
|
S
|
8.5
|
2YO F
|
|
Dixiana Breeders' Futurity
|
KEE
|
S
|
8.5
|
2YO
|
|
Juddmonte Spinster S.
|
KEE
|
S
|
9
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Toyota Blue Grass S.
|
KEE
|
S
|
9
|
3YO
|
|
First Lady S.
|
KEE
|
T
|
8
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Maker's 46 Mile S.
|
KEE
|
T
|
8
|
3UP
|
|
Shadwell Turf Mile S.
|
KEE
|
T
|
8
|
3UP
|
|
Jenny Wiley S.
|
KEE
|
T
|
8.5
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Queen Elizabeth II
Challenge Cup S.
|
KEE
|
T
|
9
|
3YO F
|
|
Haskell Invitational S.
|
MTH
|
D
|
9
|
3YO
|
|
United Nations S.
|
MTH
|
T
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Apple Blossom H.
|
OP
|
D
|
9
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Arkansas Derby
|
OP
|
D
|
9
|
3YO
|
|
Preakness S.
|
PIM
|
D
|
9.5
|
3YO
|
|
Cotillion S.
|
PRX
|
D
|
8.5
|
3YO F
|
|
Santa Anita Sprint
Championship S.
|
SA
|
D
|
6
|
3UP
|
|
La Brea S.
|
SA
|
D
|
7
|
3YO F
|
|
Malibu S.
|
SA
|
D
|
7
|
3YO
|
|
Las Virgenes S.
|
SA
|
D
|
8
|
3YO F
|
|
Chandelier S.
|
SA
|
D
|
8.5
|
2YO F
|
|
Frontrunner S.
|
SA
|
D
|
8.5
|
2YO
|
|
Santa Anita Oaks
|
SA
|
D
|
8.5
|
3YO F
|
|
Zenyatta S.
|
SA
|
D
|
8.5
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Awesome Again S.
|
SA
|
D
|
9
|
3UP
|
|
Santa Anita Derby
|
SA
|
D
|
9
|
3YO
|
|
Santa Margarita
Invitational S.
|
SA
|
D
|
9
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Santa Anita H.
|
SA
|
D
|
10
|
3UP
|
|
Frank E. Kilroe Mile S.
|
SA
|
T
|
8
|
3UP
|
|
Rodeo Drive S.
|
SA
|
T
|
10
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.
|
SAR
|
D
|
6
|
3UP
|
|
Prioress S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
6
|
3YO F
|
|
Ballerina S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
7
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Forego S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
7
|
3UP
|
|
Foxwoods King's Bishop S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
7
|
3YO
|
|
Spinaway S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
7
|
2YO F
|
|
Test S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
7
|
3YO F
|
|
Three Chimneys Hopeful S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
7
|
2YO
|
|
Tvg Coaching Club American
Oaks
|
SAR
|
D
|
9
|
3YO F
|
|
Whitney Invitational H.
|
SAR
|
D
|
9
|
3UP
|
|
Woodward S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
9
|
3UP
|
|
Alabama S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
10
|
3YOF
|
|
Personal Ensign H.
|
SAR
|
D
|
10
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Travers S.
|
SAR
|
D
|
10
|
3YO
|
|
Diana S.
|
SAR
|
T
|
9
|
3UP F/M
|
|
Sword Dancer Invitational
S.
|
SAR
|
T
|
12
|
3UP
|
First Five Downgraded Races
Given the
scarcity of horses with stamina who race on turf in America, I would suggest
that the United Nation Stakes at
Monmouth and the Jamaica Stakes at
Belmont be downgraded to Grade 2 stakes.
The recent winners of the United Nations (Turbo Compressor, Teaks North,
and Cinchon) and of the Jamaica (King David, Western Aristocrat, and Prince
Will I Am) do not compare to the winners of comparable Grade 1 turf races like
the Sword Dancer (Point of Entry, Winchester, and Telling) and the Woodford Reserve
Turf Classic (Little Mike, Get Stormy, and General Quarters). For whatever reason (host track or time of
year) the best horses are not running in these two races. In fact, in the past three years both
moderately talented horses (Cinchon and Western Aristrocrat) shipped over from
Europe to win each of these races. Lack
of depth in domestic turf breeding may provide strong arguments to downgrade
other turf races; however, only 28 of the 99 grade 1 races are on turf at
all distances and for all ages and both sexes. Thus, additional downgrades of turf races would
be out of proportion to the total number of races and harmful to efforts to
increase stamina in the American genepool.
If
these are the only two turf races to be downgraded, then the other eight
downgrades must come from the 71 grade 1 races run on dirt or synthetic
surfaces. These downgrades are roughly
equal to the overall ratio of turf (2 out 28 races equals 7.1%) to dirt and
synthetic races (8 out of 71 races equals 11.2%) When you review these remaining races, there
are six races at a mile and sixteenth for fillies and mares above three
years old excluding preps for the Kentucky Oaks. While top notch fillies and mares have won
races like the Mother Goose, the Ogden Phipps, Cotillion, the Zenyatta/Yellow
Ribbon, the Clement Hirsch (synthetic), and the Jenny Wiley (turf), it is hard
to argue that so many races at a non-classic distance is necessary. This many races for females at a mile and a
sixteenth apparently derive from an odd mix of sexism (females cannot run 9
furlongs and beyond) and fears of limited stamina in domestic bloodstock
(somewhat true but somewhat overblown).
The recent success of mares at classic distances disproves both of these
notions. Because the Phipps is open to
three year olds and up, I would downgrade the Mother Goose and the Cotillion and either the Hirsch or the Zenyatta.
There seems little point in having Grade 1 races in the summer and fall
at a mile and sixteenth when top quality fillies have already run 9 furlongs in
the Oaks Downgrading these races might
prompt the Racing Secretaries to increase the distance of these races to 9 or
10 furlongs. Hopefully, the increased
distance of these races might prompt breeders to breed for additional stamina which
is a pet project of mine.
I will post the
other five Grade 1 stakes that I think should be downgraded in a few days, but
what are your thoughts on downgrading the (i) United Nations at Monmouth, (ii)
the Jamaica Handicap at Belmont, (iii) the Mother Goose at Belmont, (iv) the
Cotillion at Parx, and (v) either the Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar or the
Zenyatta at Santa Anita. Agree or
disagree?
The next post
will try to trim the numerous sprint races and look at whether or not all of the
Derby preps deserve their Grade 1 status.
