American Graded Stakes Committee releases 2011 graded stakes tally

American Graded Stakes Committee releases 2011 graded

stakes tally

The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders

Association (TOBA) on Thursday presented its listing of U.S. graded stakes for

2011, the results of its annual grading session conducted on Wednesday in

Lexington, Kentucky.

The Committee reviewed 689 unrestricted U.S. stakes races with a purse of at

least $75,000, and assigned graded status to 474 of them, 13 fewer than were

graded in 2010. A total of five graded races were upgraded, including one new

Grade 1 race and four new Grade 2 races; five new Grade 3 races were identified.

Eight races which carried graded status in 2010 are no longer eligible for

grading.

One race was upgraded to Grade 1 status for 2011 -- the Breeders' Cup

Juvenile Turf.

One race was downgraded from Grade 1 to Grade 2 for 2011 -- the Clement L.

Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship S. at Oak Tree at Hollywood Park. The Pimlico

Special at Pimlico was not eligible for grading in 2011.

Four races were upgraded to Grade 2 status for 2011 -- the With Anticipation

S. at Saratoga, Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs, Breeders' Cup Marathon and

Presque Isle Downs Masters S. at Presque Isle Downs.

Five races were downgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 3 in 2011 -- the Lane's End

S. at Turfway Park, Lexington S. at Keeneland, Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. at

Prairie Meadows, San Francisco Mile S. at Golden Gate Fields and Allaire DuPont

Distaff H. at Pimlico. The Frank J. De Francis Memorial S. at Laurel Park and

Dahlia H. at Hollywood were not eligible for grading in 2011.

Five races were upgraded to Grade 3 status for 2011 -- the Charles Town

Classic S. at Charles Town, Tampa Bay S. at Tampa Bay Downs, Turf Monster H. at

Philadelphia Park, Jessamine S. at Keeneland and Marshua's River S. at

Gulfstream Park.

Ten races were downgraded from Grade 3 to ungraded status for 2011 -- the

Lone Star Derby at Lone Star Park, Tropical Park Derby at Calder Race Course,

Chick Lang S. at Pimlico, Memorial Day H. at Calder, Queens County H. at

Aqueduct, Robert F. Carey Memorial H. at Hawthorne, Kenny Noe Jr. H. at Calder,

Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, Santa Paula S. at Santa Anita and Stage Door

Betty H. at Calder.

The Massachusetts H. at Suffolk Downs, Carleton F. Burke H. at Oak Tree at

Hollywood, Sport Page H. at Belmont Park, Hollywood Turf Express H. at Hollywood

and Hawthorne H. at Hollywood were not eligible for grading in 2011.

Following is a summary breakdown of all grade levels.

2011 Graded Stakes		Number		% Graded		% Eligible		Change from 2010
Grade 1		112		23.6%				-1
Grade 2		153		32.3%				-3
Grade 3		209		44.1%				-9
All Graded		474				68.8%
Ungraded		215				31.2%
All Eligible Races		689