Graded Stakes Committee Decisions

[Kasept]

RACES UPGRADED FOR FEBRUARY 2022 through JANUARY 2023:

Two-Year-Old Fillies

Surfer Girl S. (T) (Santa Anita Park) Listed to Grade III

Three-Year-Old Fillies

Wonder Again S. (T) (Belmont Park) Grade III to Grade II
Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. (T) (Belmont Park) non-Listed Black Type to Grade III
Pebbles S. (T) (Belmont Park) Listed to Grade III
Winter Memories S. (T) (Aqueduct) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Mamzelle Overnight S. (T) (Churchill Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Limestone Turf Sprint S. (T) (Keeneland) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Music City S. (T) (Kentucky Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Galway S. (T) (Saratoga) non-Listed Black Type to Listed

Older Fillies and Mares

New York S. (T) (Belmont Park) Grade II to Grade I
Shuvee S. (Saratoga) Grade III to Grade II
Bed o’ Roses S. (Belmont Park) Grade III to Grade II
Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon S. (T) (Kentucky Downs) Listed to Grade III
Shawnee S. (Churchill Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Unbridled Sidney S. (T) (Churchill Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Marie G. Krantz Memorial S. (T) (Fair Grounds) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
One Dreamer S. (T) (Kentucky Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed-Restricted

Two-Year-Olds

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (T) (Breeders’ Cup) Grade II to Grade I
Street Sense S. (Churchill Downs) Listed to Grade III
Del Mar Juvenile Turf S. (T) (Del Mar) Listed to Grade III
Zuma Beach S. (T) (Santa Anita Park) Listed to Grade III
Awad S. (T) (Aqueduct) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile S. (T) (Kentucky Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Speakeasy S. (T) (Santa Anita Park) non-Listed Black Type to Listed

Three-Year-Olds

Toyota Blue Grass S. (Keeneland) Grade II to Grade I
Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. (T) (Belmont Park) non-Listed Black Type to Grade III
Bryan Station S. (T) (Keeneland) non-Listed Black Type to Grade III
Dueling Grounds Derby (T) (Kentucky Downs) Listed to Grade III
Perryville S. (Keeneland) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Palisades Turf Sprint S. (T) (Keeneland) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Baffle S. (T) (Santa Anita Park) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Oceanside S. (T) (Del Mar) non-Listed Black Type to Listed-Restricted

Older Horses

Lukas Classic S. (Churchill Downs) Grade III to Grade II
Fanduel Turf Sprint S. (T) (Kentucky Downs) Grade III to Grade II
Essex H. (Oaklawn Park) Listed to Grade III
Oaklawn Park Mile S. (Oaklawn Park) Listed to Grade III
Hot Springs S. (Oaklawn Park) Listed to Grade III
Blame S. (Churchill Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Temperence Hill S. (Oaklawn Park) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Opening Verse Overnight S. (T) (Churchill Downs) non-Listed Black Type to Listed
Prince George’s County S. (T) (Pimlico) non-Listed Black Type to Listed


RACES DOWNGRADED FOR FEBRUARY 2022 through JANUARY 2023:

Two-Year-Old Fillies

Adirondack S. (Saratoga) Grade II to Grade III

Three-Year-Old Fillies

Bourbonette Oaks (Turfway Park) Listed to non-Listed Black Type
Indiana Grand S. (T) (Indiana Grand) Listed to non-Listed Black Type

Older Fillies and Mares

Flower Bowl S. (T) (Saratoga) Grade I to Grade II
Falls City S. (Churchill Downs) Grade II to Grade III
Astra S. (T) (Santa Anita Park) Grade III to Listed
Mari Hulman George Memorial S. (Indiana Grand) Listed to non-Listed Black Type
She’s All In S. (Remington Park) Listed to non-Listed Black Type
Indiana General Assembly Distaff S. (T) (Indiana Grand) Listed to non-Listed Black Type
Satin and Lace S. (Presque Isle Downs) Listed to non-Listed Black Type

Two-Year-Olds

Best Pal S. (Del Mar) Grade II to Grade III
Bashford Manor S. (Churchill Downs) Grade III to Listed
Arlington-Washington Futurity (Arlington Park) Listed to non-Listed Black Type

Three-Year-Olds

Secretariat S. (T) (Arlington Park) Grade I to Grade II
Los Alamitos Derby (Los Alamitos) Grade III to Listed
Lazaro Barrera S. (Santa Anita Park) Grade III to Listed
Mystic Lake Derby (T) (Canterbury Park) Listed to non-Listed Black Type

Older Horses

Bernard Baruch H. (T) (Saratoga) Grade II to Grade III
Excelsior S. (Aqueduct) Grade III to Listed
Longacres Mile H. (Emerald Downs) Grade III to Listed
Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S. (Laurel Park) Grade III to Listed
Gulfstream Park Sprint S. (Gulfstream Park) Grade III to Listed
Parx Dash S. (T) (Parx Racing) Grade III to Listed
Dave’s Friend S. (Laurel Park) Listed to non-Listed Black Type

[RolloTomasi]

The Los Alamitos Derby deserves to be downgraded but the problem is that it shouldn't have been downgraded previously (in 2017).

When it was downgraded the last time, the previous 3 winners were Shared Belief who subsequently won the Pacific Classic, Malibu, Big Cap, etc., Gimme Da Lute who won 2 stakes at the subsequent Del Mar meet before injury stopped his career, and Accelerate who was 3rd in the BC Undercard Mile next out and later 2018 HOY.

To add insult to injury, the first winner for the newly Grade 3 race in 2017 was West Coast, who took the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby in his next 2 starts.

Of course, I'm sure none of this was lost on the Graded Stakes Committee, who probably sequester themselves and pour over results charts & PPS for a 2 week period ahead of every meeting...

Maybe if last year Flightline had run in the Laz Barrera (7f) month-and-a-half after his debut and then the Los Al Derby a month later instead of wasting his career in the barn he might have singlehandedly restored each race to at least Grade 2 status...