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.