American Graded Stakes Comimittee

California racing just got dealt another brutal blow. In a year when this sport should be doing everything possible to stabilize a fragile circuit, the loss of Grade I status for the Frank E. Kilroe Mile and multiple downgrades at Santa Anita and Del Mar is very concerning. When you strip premier events in the middle of a wagering and field-size crisis, you're not "protecting the integrity of the pattern," you're accelerating the decline of one of the game's few remaining flagship jurisdictions. This outcome might look neat on a...

A total of 429 graded stakes races--down from 440 in 2023--and four fewer top-level events will be contested in 2024, the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced following its two-day grading session Dec. 14 and 15. The Committee reviewed 970 overall with purses of at least $75,000 and also assigned listed status to a further 213 races. Some 10 races were upgraded from their previous status--one new Grade I and nine Grade Iis. Four new Grade III events were also listed. Fourteen new listed...