Four more Sydney Group 1s put on Asian Pattern Committee agenda

An Asian Pattern Committee meeting will consider a Racing NSW application to have three spring races and an autumn feature upgraded to Group 1 status, The Straight understands.

Delegates are due to meet on Thursday night where the elevation of the spring’s Golden Eagle (1500m), the Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m), the Russell Balding (1300m) as well as the autumn’s Apollo Stakes (1400m) promises to be the most contentious topic on the agenda.

If approved by the Asian Pattern Committee, it would mean that the Sydney spring carnival would have three Group 1 sprint races in six weeks, starting with the Premiere Stakes on October 4 as a lead-in to The Everest and culminating in the Russell Balding, run on the same card as the Golden Eagle.

It would effectively amount to a Sydney sprinting Triple Crown.

International authorities granted Group 1 status to The Everest and Victoria’s All-Star Mile last year after concerted lobbying from Racing NSW and Racing Victoria. 

But there is no guarantee that the APC will accede to any or all of the proposed upgrades at the meeting. 

It is understood that the APC last year agreed to elevate The Everest and the All-Star Mile on the assurance that Racing Australia would have a functioning pattern committee and black type guidelines in place by March this year.

That has not occurred, with the Racing Australia board last week scheduled to vote on a motion to ratify revised ratings-based black type guidelines.

However, Racing NSW’s nominated Racing Australia director Peter V’landys was a no-show, forcing the September board meeting to be cancelled.

It is believed that even if the meeting did go ahead, at least two other Principal Racing Authorities, including RV, would have voted against the motion, ensuring there is no end to the stalemate in sight.

Racing NSW chief executive V’landys has previously lauded the success of the Golden Eagle – to be run for the first time at Randwick on November 1 after being shifted from Rosehill – since its inception in 2019 and has publicly stated his belief that it should command Group 1 status.

Last year’s edition of the $10 million race for four-year-olds was won by the William Haggas-trained Lake Forest, with eight other horses subsequently winning Group 1 races around the world.

When asked on Thursday about the prospect of the quartet of races being granted Group 1 status at the APC meeting, V’landy’s told The Straight that he “cannot help as this is a Racing Australia matter”.

“Unlike others, I adhere to proper corporate governance. As a director, I don’t have the authority to speak on behalf of Racing Australia,” he said.

Racing NSW upgraded a host of stakes races last season without being ratified by international bodies, meaning the “black type” earned by the winners and placegetters of those races are not recognised in sales catalogues or pedigree pages. 

Pattern on hold – Racing Australia board meeting called off at the 11th hour

A planned monthly Racing Australia board meeting has been called off, adding to the growing frustration about the state of flux that the nation’s black type calendar is caught up in.

The StraightTim Rowe

The impasse with Australia’s pattern, dating back to 2018, has caused frustration among many industry stakeholders, administrators and participants.

While the upgrading of races has been a divisive move, so too has been a lack of reviews and downgrades.

Equally, it’s understood that international jurisdictions are also becoming increasingly disillusioned at Australia’s inability to abide by international black-type protocols and that sentiment could count against Racing NSW’s submission to the APC.

The APC is chaired by Japan Racing Association representative Takahiro Uno while its secretary is the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Andrew Mealor.

Racing South Australia chair Rob Rorrison is Racing Australia’s representative on the seven-person committee, which also has members from Southern Africa, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Emirates Racing Authority.

What does a 50-race Australian Group 1 calendar look like?

Playing devil’s advocate, Bren O’Brien has taken a scalpel to Australia’s feature race program to see what a schedule of 50 Group 1 races might look like.

The StraightBren O’Brien

Last year’s Russell Balding, which was run a week before Victoria’s Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington, was taken out for the second time by Everest-winning mare Bella Nipotina.

The weight-for-age Apollo Stakes, a traditional Sydney autumn starting point for many of the country’s best mile and middle distance horses, was won on three occasions by champion mare Winx.

Godolphin’s nine-time Group 1-winning stallion Anamoe won the Apollo Stakes first-up in 2023 while the Chris Waller-trained Fangirl has won the past two editions of the Group 2 race when resuming from a break.