There are now 72 Group 1 races on the Australian calendar, which has devalued the achievement of being a ‘Group 1 winner’.
The are more Group 1s in Australia than any other racing jurisdiction in the world with the exception of the United States, where they are classified as Grade 1 races and their system is different to elsehwere.
Because of our Group 1 race saturation, too many horses that are not up to the highest standard are walking away with racing’s top prizes. It also lessens the standard of an Australian Group 1 winner compared to that of an English or Hong Kong horse.
Here are five races which should be considered for downgrading.
Moir Stakes
The race has only been run as a Group 1 once, but it is one times too many. Positioned near the start of the spring carnival, it is run over 1200m under weight-for-age conditions at Moonee Valley.
But it is the third 1200m weight-for-age race at the Valley on the calendar and is identical to the Manikato Stakes a month later.
The Moir is a good race which was won by a decent horse in Samaready last year, but having three Group 1 weight-for-age races at the Valley is pointless. This race should get the axe before the William Reid – another low quality Group 1 – simply because the William Reid is run in autumn.
ATC Sires Produce Stakes
Asking a two-year-old to back up after the Golden Slipper is nasty. There is a seven-day break between the Golden Slipper and the ATC Sires Produce Stakes. Limited to two-year-olds and run at set weights over 1400m, this race was incorporated into The Championships and worth $1 million this year.
But connections with a long-term view of their horses cannot ask their juveniles to back up from the Slipper, often on gruelling wet ground.
The race is a leg of the triple crown but the triple crown should be Blue Diamond-Golden Slipper-Champagne Stakes. Give the two-year-olds a break after the Slipper and boost the Champagne purse.
Vinery Stud Stakes
It’s too easy for fillies to rack up Group 1s in this country. Also known as the Storm Queen Stakes, the Vinery Stud is the lead-up race to the Australian Oaks. Run over 2000m, it would probably attract the exact same field if it were a Group 2 race.
Fillies who want to prove themselves should be taking on the boys in the Rosehill Guineas over 2000m. They get weight relief to make up for the gender gap, so it’s a near-level playing field.
Keep in mind that fillies still have Group 1s available after the Australian Oaks if they head to Adelaide for the Australasian Oaks or Queensland for the Queensland Oaks.
The Vinery Stud doesn’t need Group 1 status.
Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes
Handicap racing is all good and well, but the field for the Rupert Clarke Stakes is only ever ordinary. Run at Caulfield over 1400m, many handicappers will begin their preparation in the race. They will most likely push on to the Toorak Handicap and the Emirates Stakes.
The Rupert Clarke is a very ordinary race and others on the support card tend to create much more intrigue.
The race is normally run the day after the AFL grand final so that the Melbourne Racing Club does not need to compete with the AFL, but few would notice if the race was downgraded.
Tattersall’s Tiara
It’s the last Group 1 race of the Australian season and it’s probably the worst. Run at the end of the Brisbane carnival, fillies and mares must endure a long winter to enter in this race.
Run at Eagle Farm over 1400m under weight-for-age conditions, it’s embarrassing that a few of the winners can claim Group 1s.
The race was upgraded to Group 1 status in 2007. Some winners include Nova Star, Absolut Glam, Russeting and Pear Tart. That quartet can proudly claim four Group 1s between them – all the Tattersall’s Tiara.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Thanks KV! Great to hear our voices are being heard :D
kv joef
Guest
well done alfred and racing-roarers. Yesterday the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (Asian Conference) passed a resolution to develop the 'super' G1's concept internationally. As discussed extensively here for sometime the international bodies have decided to act looking to create "super G1s". Press Release - http://www.ifhaonline.org/newsDisplay.asp?story=841 Another interesting one at the same conference - http://www.ifhaonline.org/newsDisplay.asp?story=840 the racing roar always echos commonsense ... as it is not your average bark. good luck for the winter ... got to zip :).
casper
Guest
I still think the attitude is poor, centralise all group racing in Sydney & Melbourne so you destroy racing elsewhere in the long term. Not hard to work out where Alfred & Cameron live. What about addressing the ridiculous eligibility 'free ride' for overseas horses into the cups because they run a place in some nondescript group race in the UK or Europe where they race against 4-5 starters with possibly a pacemaker thrown in. I'm all for our group races being reviewed, but let's get a national approach so that the carnivals in each state have a couple of decent group 1 races & cut the numbers across the board including NSW & Vic. The yanks don't have a 3YO triple crown raced in the same state in the one carnival like Sydney, they spread it across the states. They have shorter seasons & close down more often than in Australia. Why not downgrade the Randwick guineas to G3 & Rosehill guineas to G2 leading into a G1 derby? makes equal sense as attacking race clubs outside Sydney & Melbourne. I hate this pre-occupation with WFA racing taking precedence in the carnivals. It has its place, but handicaps are the best betting races & betting feeds the prizemoney bucket. In the old days, you'd regularly get fantastic WFA spectacles with 3 or 4 starters but nobody bet on them, they just watched. Colts race in 3YO 'classics' for the prizemoney & stud value, so QLD & SA can't compete on prizemoney and their only drawcard is group status. They've ruined the Doomben Cup by going to WFA & some of those Gold Coast WFA races (e.g. the Hollindale) are an absolute joke but equally the Toorak & Spring Championship stakes should drop. Your argument looking at past winners only holds water because a good horse can get any easy kill in some of those races because of timing or maturity. I reckon the saucer track at mooney valley has too many group 1's for a course that has an obvious bias against some racing styles.
paulywalnuts
Guest
All the Derbies/Oaks outside Vic/NSW The Galaxy The Metrop The Vinery The Toorak The Goodwood The Sires/Champagne/ TJ (Bris) Coolmore Classic and Tatts Tiara William Reid Plus all the ones that have been recently upgraded. That'll do for a start.
casper
Guest
The oaks races in each state, like sires produce stakes races, were created for breeders. Again a sydney centric attitude in this comment. Lets have a look at the history of the Sydney Oaks with those future champions (absolutely, once were wild, daffodil, heavenly glow, rena's lady) going on to set the world on fire. Qld oaks at least provided a melbourne cup winner in Ethereal. The Tatts Tiara has been won by Red Tracer, Melito, Bononova (twice) and Dane Ripper so every race has its good and bad years. The whole black type thing is about yearling sales anyway, and the overseas buyers are the main targets.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
The Winter Stakes on June 21st is the last Group 1 race of the Carnival this year. 20 years ago this race was Group 3. Certainly a fitting end would be two weeks earlier on June 7th with the Stradbroke, Qld Derby and TJ Smith all Group 1 with the Group 2 Brisbane Cup as well. Depending on what you read the Brisbane Winter Carnival this year started two weeks ago on April 12. Some say it started last week on April 26 with the Sir Byrne Hart and Gunsynd Classic and Channel 7 are advertising the Winter Carnival as starting on May 10 with the BTC Cup. Maybe that's the real issue.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
The Winter Stakes on June 21st is the last Group 1 race of the Carnival this year. 20 years ago this race was Group 3. Certainly a fitting end would be two weeks earlier on June 7th with the Stradbroke, Qld Derby and TJ Smith all Group 1 with the Group 2 Brisbane Cup as well. But why a consolation Group 1 two weeks later? Depending on what you read the Brisbane Winter Carnival this year started two weeks ago on April 12. Some say it started last week on April 26 with the Sir Byrne Hart and Gunsynd Classic and Channel 7 are advertising the Winter Carnival as starting on May 10 with the BTC Cup. Maybe that's the real issue. April 12 to June 21 is too long.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
The Winter Stakes on June 21st is the last Group 1 race of the Carnival this year. 20 years ago this race was Group 3. Certainly a fitting end would be two weeks earlier on June 7th with the Stradbroke, Qld Derby and TJ Smith all Group 1 with the Group 2 Brisbane Cup as well. Depending on what you read the Brisbane Winter Carnival this year started two weeks ago on April 12. Some say it started last week on April 26 with the Sir Byrne Hart and Gunsynd Classic and Channel 7 are advertising the Winter Carnival as starting on May 10 with the BTC Cup. Maybe that's the real issue.
andrew
Guest
great topic. the first thing that needs to be established is whether a race can be a group 1 if it is seen as a 'lead up' race. I personally don't have a problem. in reality the cox plate is a 'lead up' to the melb cup. several other instances exist also of this in terms of race patterns. if the good horses run, it doesn't matter if they have another race to run into in 2 weeks time. secondly, I think when judging a race, one juggle the quality of the winner, with also the quality of the race and over a decent length of time, say atleast 5 years. first in my gun are some of the sth aust races. sure, its nice to give them a group 1. but whilst its nice, its not right, group 1 shouldn't just be given. the goodwood is a glorified group 2 or 3. once every 5 years a top horse runs, and wins. black caviar and takeover target. but for 80% of the time its a ho-hum race. go through the list of winners. the SA Oaks and Derby fall in a similar bracket. you couldn't possibly argue the SA derby/oaks are more deserving than the yalumba. small fields, do not mean a poor race. go through the honour roll for the yalumba, just this century it includes sky heightys, lonhro, mummify, el Segundo, Maldivian, whobegotyou, so you think, ocean park and atlantic jewel. the sangster is not far behind. away from sth aust, I concur on the moir, especially with its calendar move. the pattern committee will be closely watching this race. the jj atkins in bris is a strange on to be G1 over 1600m for 2yo's, hardly producing any horses that go on. the best nsw/vic horses are in the spelling paddock by then getting ready for spring. concur with Cameron on the vic health cup. this is a deserved G1. you often get a 3yo running it too, who wants to take a G1 trail into the guineas (about one every 3 years).
Brent Ford
Roar Guru
I think you've hit the nail on the head Scuba. I'd like to see more staying races get promoted and shorter sprints get demoted, highly doubt it will happen while breeding sprinters is a money maker.
Scuba
Guest
Why should the Brisbane carnival be shortened? And why should the Stradbroke not be the "crowning glory"?
Scuba
Guest
Yes, let's downgrade more staying races and promote more meaningless 1200-1300 metre sprints like the Canterbury Stakes. That'll keep the breeders happy and ensure that we win 1 Melbourne Cup in 20. Agree about the honour roll for the Sir Rupert Clarke though - there are many Group 1 races with far more ordinary winners. Tricky to base the discussion on number of runners - the Chipping Norton is one race that has had small fields just about every year since when Super Impose and Tie The Knot used to routinely beat up fields of 6, but the list of winners will keep its rating high for a long time
Alfred Chan
Expert
The one thing I like about the Orr and Futurity is they are at the start of autumn so we get the chance to see which three-year-olds are capable of stepping up to WFA class. I still have no idea why they changed the Futurity from 1600m to 1400m in 2011. We need more WFA mile races!
Alfred Chan
Expert
As the last ones of the year, I wouldn't mind seeing the Queensland Oaks/Derby extended to 2800-3200m so that they are St Legers rather than Derbys. At the end of the season, the time would be right to really test the three-year-old stayers to see if they are legitimate Melbourne Cup hopefuls.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Agree 100 per cent with the Oaks and Derby comments.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Personally, I'd much rather see the MacKinnon moved to the final day of the Flemington carnival. I think it would get a much better field. Cox Plate horses would more likely head there since they get a 14 day break rather than 7 and I suspect a lot of the horses around 24-30 in the Melbourne Cup ballot would opt for it rather than the Queen Elizabeth 2 Stakes since the prize money would be greater. There's also a pretty good chance a few VRC Derby horses would back up into it.
Damien Ractliffe
Roar Guru
I want to know why we have the CF Orr and the Futurity, two G1 WFA 1400m races at Caulfield, two weeks apart? The double has been done three times in the last five years. Happy to have the Memsie in the spring, but two in the autumn seems ridiculous. The only difference between them is the rail placement.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
Strangely I love the Caulfield Stakes but I think the Sydney meeting on the same day has an affect on the field. (I was on Rough Habit once). I think though if there was proper triple crown in Australia it should be the Turnbull, Caulfield Stakes and then the Cox Plate with a bonus to the winner of all there if that can be done. It may also improve the quality of the Cox Plate which has lost some of it's shine.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
I think the point you've highlighted is there not a proper plan. At the same time I think a few races, very few are worthy of an upgrade. Can't argue with your assessments. The Brisbane Winter carnival needs either the Doomben 10,000 or Doomben Cup to be the crowning glory of a shortened Carnival. The Winter Stakes is a poor finale and it's one claim to fame was last year when Red Tracer won her first Group 1. If a race needs to be elevated to Group 1 it is the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast I think the Salinger should also be elevated to Group 1 and was really surprised when it was downgraded.
Cameron Rose
Expert
Nice piece Alfred. Personally, I'd start with every Oaks and Derby outside Victoria and NSW. They should be Group 2 at best, and sometimes Group 3. One staying Group 1 for each sex in the spring and autumn is enough. I definitely agree with the Moir and Vinery Stud. I'd make a case for the Yalumba or Caulfield Stakes I think it's called - it barely seems to get more than six horses. I'm happy for the Sires Produce to keep its status, and the Rupert Clarke is actually one of my favourite races (no doubt helped by a lot of success I've had personally in the race) - I reckon the list of winners stand up, either as worthy handicap winners (Response, Orange County, Bon Hoffa), and many go on to be Group 1 competitive, either winning (Moment of Change, Tuffontein, Barely a Moment, Regal Roller, Exceed and Excel), or running well at WFA (Rebel Dane, probably has another G1 in him). A horse like Toorak Toff had already won a Group 1. Great discussion point though, let's get the amount of Group 1's down to 60 at least, and possibly even 50.