Eight Stakes Elevated in Status for 2014

Eight stakes were elevated in or to graded status and 11 were downgraded for 2014 during the meeting of the American Graded Stakes Committee Dec. 4 in Lexington.

The AGSC, which released its results Dec. 6, reviewed 713 unrestricted stakes in the United States with a purse of at least $75,000. It assigned graded status to 455 of them—two fewer than were graded in 2013—and listed status to 190 races.

There will be 110 grade I stakes in 2014, which is good for 24.2% of all graded stakes (455 in total). The 143 grade II events make up 31.4% of that total, while the 202 grade III stakes make up 44.4% of the total.

There will be 190 listed stakes—26.6% of all graded, listed, and eligible but non-listed stakes—next year. There will be 68 non-listed eligible stakes (9.6%) and 455 graded stakes (63.8%).

Only one stakes–the La Troienne at Churchill Downs–was elevated from grade II to grade I for next year. The Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park and the Sabin, Holy Bull, and Swale stakes at Gulfstream Park were upgraded to grade II from grade III.

Three stakes that had no grade are now grade III: the Charles Town Oaks at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, the Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar, and L.A. Woman Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

Two races will go from grade I to grade II in 2014: the Prioress Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and the Princess Rooney Handicap at Calder Casino & Race Course.

Seven stakes–most of them in California and New York–were lowered to grade III from grade II. They are the Go For Wand Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack; the Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita; the Vagrancy Handicap and Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park; the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga; the La Jolla Stakes at Del Mar; and the Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream.

The AGSC said the El Encino and San Luis Obispo Stakes at Santa Anita and the Jim Murray Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park were not eligible for grading in 2014. 

Two races were downgraded from grade III to listed status for 2013: the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Ohio Derby—it was the only graded stakes in Ohio—at ThistleDown Racino. formerly called Thistledown.