Golden Eagle gets Group 1 nod

The Golden Eagle will be run at Group 1 level this spring after Sydney’s $10 million race exclusively for four-year-olds received approval for elevation to elite black-type for the first time by the Asian Racing Federation (ARF).

The granting of Group 1 status for the Golden Eagle – and the reprieve of three historic Australian races to carry black-type’s highest grading – are among a suite of changes recommended by the Asian Pattern Committee and ratified by the ARF this week.

In announcing changes to Australia’s Pattern calendar on Friday, in which 19 races will be upgraded, the ARF also confirmed that the Victoria Derby in Melbourne, The Metropolitan in Sydney and Perth’s Railway Stakes will retain their Group 1 status.

Those races had been considered to be under immense pressure to retain their Group 1 status but were spared.

Among the 16 NSW races to earn Pattern grading for the first time will be The Invitation (Group 2), the Russell Balding (Group 2), the Golden Gift (Listed), the Big Dance (Listed) and The Gong (Group 3). 

The 7 Stakes (Group 2), Five Diamonds (Group 3), the Silver Eagle (Listed), and The Hunter (Listed) were also awarded black-type, but at a lower level than requested by Australian representatives. The Hunter was classed as Group 2 on Racing Australia records last year,. but was never recognised at that level by the Asian Pattern Committee.

Eleven races also earned upgrades, including the Concorde (Group 3 to Group 2), the Kingston Town Stakes (Group 3 to Group 2), the Heritage Stakes (Listed to Group 3) and Poseidon Stakes and Chautauqua Stakes who were both upgraded from Listed to Group 3s.

Nine Australian races under consideration for upgrades – including Sydney’s The Shorts (Group 2), San Domenico Stakes (Group 3) and Perth’s The Rush (Group 3) – will remain at their current black-type level after being denied an upgrade. 

The Stan Fox Stakes, a three-year-old 1600m race, has been immediately downgraded to Group 3 status.

The changes are the first made under an extraordinary governance arrangement that saw the APC assume responsibility for the country’s black-type decisions after the ARF removed Racing Australia from the role late last year amid concerns over the country’s pattern approval process.

At an Asian Pattern Committee meeting last week, delegates made determinations on Australian black-type races scheduled to be run from the start of the new racing season on August 1 through until December 2026.

“A key purpose of this special meeting was to enable the ARF to assist the Australian industry to be fully informed of any changes ahead of the next running of these races, while other races in Racing Australia’s application are to be further considered by the APC at its next meeting in September,” the ARF statement read.

The ARF revealed that Racing Australia had been informed about the slated changes after the July 2 APC meeting, with the national body accepting the provisional changes.

“The ARF has been clear on the requirement that Racing Australia establish a functioning system operating in accordance with the APC Ground Rules, and will provide a further update when it is considered appropriate for the above arrangements to end (or any other necessary actions to be taken by the ARF if such a system is not established),” the ARF wrote.

When the ARF took action last year, following an almost 10-year impasse that had caused the stagnation of Australia’s Pattern, a Black Type Advisory Group (BTAG) was established.

The seven-member group, made up of auction house representatives Barry Bowditch and Sebastian Hutch, Godolphin’s Andy Makiv, industry figures Adrian Hancock and Duncan Grimley, Arrowfield’s Jon Freyer, and Widden’s Antony Thompson, was charged with assessing and recommending an overhaul of Australia’s black-type races.

It was used by the APC as part of its decision-making, which began at an ARF Handicappers’ Committee meeting in June.

“(The handicappers) held a special conference to determine the end-of-season 2025/26 ratings for horses rated above 112 in the ARF jurisdictions (including Australia), as well as the ratings for the first four placed horses in all Group 1 races run in the ARF Pattern,” Friday’s statement said. 

“These ratings were considered by the APC in the relevant decision-making process.”

The ratified changes have also been sent to the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and to the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA).

The upgrades and downgrades will be reflected in the publication of the International Cataloguing Standards (ICS) Book 2027.   

Races That Changed Status

Considered for Upgrade but Unchanged

Considered for Downgrade but Unchanged

Key

• SW = Set Weights
• SWP = Set Weights & Penalties
• WFA = Weight for Age
• Quality Handicap = Quality handicap conditions
• Handicap = Traditional handicap race