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The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Dec. 2 released its listing of United States Graded Stakes for 2011, the results of its annual grading session conducted Dec. 1 in Lexington.
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 less than were graded in 2010. A total of five graded races were upgraded, including one new grade I race and four new grade II races. Five new grade III races were also identified, and eight races which carried graded status in 2010 are no longer eligible for grading.
Click here for a list of stakes upgraded for 2011.
Click here for a list of stakes downgraded for 2011.
One race was upgraded to grade I status for 2011: the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
One race was downgraded from grade I to grade II 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 II status for 2011: the With Anticipation at Saratoga, Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs, Breeders’ Cup Marathon, and Presque Isle Downs Masters at Presque Isle Downs.
Five races were downgraded from grade II to grade III in 2011: the Lane’s End at Turfway Park, Coolmore Lexington at Keeneland, Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows, San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields, and Allaire DuPont Distaff Handicap at Pimlico. The Frank J. De Francis Memorial at Laurel Park and Dahlia Handicap at Hollywood Park were not eligible for grading in 2011.
Five races were upgraded to grade III status for 2011: the Charles Town Classic at Charles Town, Tampa Bay at Tampa Bay Downs, Turf Monster Handicap at Parx Racing, JP Morgan Chase Jessamine at Keeneland, and Marshua’s River at Gulfstream Park.
Ten races were downgraded from grade III to ungraded status for 2011: the Lone Star Derby at Lone Star Park, Tropical Park Derby at Calder Race Course, Chick Lang at Pimlico, Memorial Day Handicap at Calder Race Course, Queens County Handicap at Aqueduct, Robert F. Carey Memorial Handicap at Hawthorne Race Course, Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap at Calder Race Course, Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, Santa Paula at Santa Anita, and Stage Door Betty Handicap at Calder Race Course.
The Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs, Carleton F. Burke Handicap at Oak Tree at Hollywood Park, Sport Page Handicap at Belmont Park, Hollywood Turf Express Handicap at Hollywood Park, and Hawthorne Handicap at Hollywood Park were not eligible for grading in 2011.
