Blog: It’s time to downgrade some of our G1s
A recent post on the blog “Breeding Right” suggests that with the decrease in foal crop should come an adjustment in the graded stakes system to keep Grade 1 races as challenging and comparatively...
View ArticleOff-the-Turf Jaipur Remains as Listed Race
The June 7 Jaipur Stakes, which was originally carded as a Grade 3 race but was downgraded to listed when it was taken off the Belmont turf course, will not have its grade reinstated for this renewal,...
View ArticleNew Minimum Purse Requirements Set for Grade I and Grade II Races in 2014
The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's American Graded Stakes Committee (AGSC) announced today new minimum purse requirements for U.S. Grade I and Grade II stakes races in 2014. Minimum...
View ArticleTOBA Releases 2014 Graded Stakes List
The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association today presented its listing of U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes Races for 2014, the results of its annual grading...
View ArticleCharles Town Oaks Elevated to Grade 3 Status for 2014
While the Charles Town Classic (G2) stands as the lucrative centerpiece of the track's open stakes program, the race will have some company in 2014 as the American Graded Stakes Committee has awarded...
View ArticleTOBA Releases 2015 Graded Stakes List
The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association today presented its listing of U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes Races for 2015, the results of its annual grading...
View ArticleWoodford Stakes Reinstated To Grade 3 Status
Keeneland's Woodford Stakes, which was taken off the turf and run on the main track Oct. 3, has been reinstated as a Grade 3 race by the American Graded Stakes Committee. The Blood-Horse reports that...
View ArticleFrank De Francis Memorial Dash Upgraded To Grade 3 Status
The Maryland Jockey Club announced today the prestigious $350,000 Frank De Francis Memorial Dash has been upgraded to a Grade 3 race for 2016 by the American Graded Stakes Committee. The De Francis,...
View ArticleTOBA Releases 2016 Graded Stakes List; Saratoga’s Fourstardave Awarded G1 Status
The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association today presented its listing of U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes Races for 2016, the results of its annual grading...
View ArticleTampa Bay: Hillsborough Elevated To Grade 2; Purse Raised To $200K
The Festival Day celebration on March 12 at Tampa Bay Downs will be even grander than anticipated. The Hillsborough Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf, which produced an Eclipse Award champion in...
View ArticleNew Pegasus World Cup Invitational Awarded Grade 1 Status
The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced today it has voted to assign Grade I status to the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, formerly the Grade...
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Saga Of Suddenbreakingnews Raises Troubling Questions About Steroid Testing...
The recent revelation that Belmont Stakes contender Suddenbreakingnews is not a gelding but a ridgling was a surprise to everyone, including his connections. Somewhere along his journey, the horse was...
View Article‘There Just Aren’t The Horses To Fill Them’: Graded Stakes Committee To...
The American Graded Stakes Committee has formed a subcommittee to examine the number of graded races in the country, and which ones – in particular, which Grade 1's – should be eliminated. According to...
View ArticleQuality Of PA Derby Has Parx Officials Hopeful For Move To G1 Status
Anticipation is building for Parx Racing's second annual Fall Festival of Racing, which gets underway this Saturday. The festival will run through Oct. 25, and horsemen will find that purses have been...
View ArticleBlue Grass, Wood Memorial Downgraded; Pennsylvania Derby To Be Grade 1 in 2017
Two historic races for 3-year-olds on the road to the Kentucky Derby – the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct – will be dropped from Grade 1 to Grade 2 status when the...
View ArticleTOBA Releases Changes To 2017 American Graded Stakes Schedule
The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association today presented its listing of U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes Races for 2017, the results of its annual grading...
View ArticleStatistics Trump Common Sense In Committee’s Downgrade Of Blue Grass, Wood...
Many of the best horses in the East Coast on the trail to the Kentucky Derby no longer use the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland or the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct as their final prep before the run for the...
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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘Sports Junkie’ Dobson Enjoys Ride With...
When asked how he got into the Thoroughbred industry two decades ago, Everett Dobson gives the simplest of answers. “I bought a racehorse.” Things have gotten considerably more complex since then. The...
View ArticleSan Gabriel Stakes Downgraded After Off-The-Turf Renewal
Following a review by the American Graded Stakes Committee, the Jan. 7 San Gabriel Stakes that was taken off the turf Jan. 7 at Santa Anita Park will not have its Grade 2 status reinstated. It will be...
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Combating A Culture Of Cheating: A Matter Of Trust
(First in a two-part series.) Horse racing has a culture of cheating. Its problem is drugs. It's what the public calls doping. The methods differ, as do the drugs. At one end of the spectrum, horsemen...
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