Robert J. Frankel Stakes Loses 2016 Grade

The off-the-turf running of the Robert J. Frankel Stakes won by Goodyearforroses Dec. 31 at Santa Anita Park will lose its grade 3 status for 2016, according to the American Graded Stakes Committee.

AGSC policy requires a graded turf race to automatically be downgraded by one level whenever it is moved to the main track. The quality of the field is then reviewed by the AGSC to determine whether its quality is still representative of the race's original graded status. In the case of the Robert J. Frankel, a 1 1/8-mile contest for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, three horses were scratched because of the move off the grass, including multiple South American grade I winner Ryans Charm and grade 2-placed stakes winner Arles.

BALAN: Goodyearforroses Scores in Sloppy Frankel

The race winner, Goodyearforroses, will have to wait to upgrade her status from graded-placed to graded stakes winner. The 5-year-old daughter of Azamour—Guilia, by Galileo, is raced by Abbondanza Racing and trained by Richard Baltas. She was bred in Ireland by The Hornets. The 2016 Robert J. Frankel is now Goodyearforroses first win in a listed black-type stakes and her second black-type stakes win overall. Prior to this race, she finished third in the Maple Leaf Stakes (G3) on Woodbine's all-weather main track.