A host of signature races across Australia could have their black-type classification altered, possibly within a week, as principal racing authorities (PRAs) shake up a packed national Group and Listed calendar.
Triggered by dramatic changes to Sydney’s spring schedule, the imminent shift nationally comes as Racing Australia moves to clarify the protocols used by Racing NSW to upgrade or allocate Listed and Group status to 13 spring races, including the $20 million Everest.
Racing NSW upgraded a suite of races to be held over the next six weeks at Randwick, Rosehill, Newcastle, and Kembla Grange. This was in addition to the approval granted for The Everest to be immediately run as a Group 1 event.
Victoria’s 2025 All-Star Mile, scheduled for Flemington next autumn, was also confirmed as a Group 1 race on Wednesday by the industry’s overarching body Racing Australia.
In the face of discontent from sections of the thoroughbred industry before and following confirmation of the changes made by Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys and his board, using the newly minted protocols agreed upon by Pattern and Development Committee, Racing Australia will publicly clarify how the changes have been made.
A Racing Australia statement must be ticked off at board level before its release.
RA CEO Paul Eriksson would not comment on the situation prior to the statement’s distribution.
But Racing Queensland CEO Jason Scott admitted the national governing body could have done more to communicate the decisions and subsequent changes to the NSW stakes race calendar.
Australia’s representative on the Asian Pattern Committee, which is due to convene in Hong Kong in December, Scott also revealed that there are more pending changes from PRAs regarding black-type races.
Speaking to The Straight, he also rejected claims that PRAs were blindsided by Racing NSW and V’landys’ additional changes to its black-type calendar above and beyond The Everest’s promotion to Group 1 status.
“I am not sure blindsided is the right word. Certainly, NSW were a little bit in front of us, but I think you’ll find all the PRAs know which races they need to upgrade and they’ll probably be upgraded to the right system over the next five to seven working days,” Scott said.
“I think, as Racing Australia and as a board, we could have handled communications with stakeholders better and it’s made it look like there’s a NSW-centric thing happening, but that’s not the case.”
Bren O’Brien
Racing Victoria confirmed the status of its black-type offering was being scrutinised in response to the new Racing Australia protocols.
"From a Victorian viewpoint, we're in the process of reviewing our races and will engage with our stakeholders as we work through that process," a spokesman said.
The first of the changes to the spring calendar by Racing NSW will come into effect on Saturday with the running of the $500,000 Tapp-Craig (1400m) at Rosehill.
Named after legendary Sydney racecallers John Tapp and Ian Craig, the Tapp-Craig has been granted Listed status. Other spring changes include November 26’s $2 million The Invitation (1400m) for fillies and mares being granted Group 2 status and the $1 million Silver Eagle (1300m), the key lead-up to the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill on November 2, being made a Group 3 race.
However, the Golden Eagle, a lucrative race for four-year-olds won in the past by high-class geldings such as I’m Thunderstruck and I Wish I Win, was not among the raft of races given black type or upgraded.
It is understood that the Golden Eagle was not given black type for this year, so that when the Pattern Committee does rubber-stamp an upgrade it can be immediately ensconced as a Group 1.
Warwick Barr
One prominent breeder, who wished to remain anonymous, argued that the Pattern was “not to be simply used as an advertising medium for racing authorities” and that a thorough examination of the calendar, including numerous races being downgraded or stripped of their stakes classification, needs to occur.
“Breeders and agents have skin in the game and have everything to lose, that's not the case with racing administrators who simply pull in a weekly wage regardless of how we are deemed internationally,” they told The Straight.
When confirming The Everest and All-Star Mile as Group 1 races on Wednesday, Racing Australia said: “The All-Star Mile and The Everest race upgrades have been ratified internationally.
“Whilst these upgrades will take immediate effect, further analysis and review of all black-type races is being undertaken with the expectation that further announcements will be made in the near future.”
Racing SA chair Rob Rorrison, who also sits on the RA board, would also not comment about Racing NSW’s spring stakes-race bonanza.
RA’s Pattern and Development Committee, which held a classification meeting in early September and is also said to have been meeting on a fortnightly basis, is chaired by V’landys.
