Group races , also known as Pattern races , or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing . They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby , Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Europe , the Melbourne Cup in Australia , and the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup races in the United States . Victory in these races marks a horse as being particularly talented, if not exceptional, and they are extremely important in determining stud values. They are also sometimes referred to as Black type races, since any horse that has won one of these races is printed in bold type in sales catalogues.
31-642: The VRC St Leger is a Listed Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run at set weights with penalties, over a distance of 2800 metres at Flemington Racecourse , Melbourne , Australia on ANZAC Day . First run in 1857, the race was originally held in March as part of the Victoria Racing Club Autumn Carnival. In 1907 the race was run on the same race card as the Newmarket Handicap . In an effort to promote
62-534: A handicap (expecting the European Free Handicap ), may not be divided into two or more divisions, may not have a standard entry fee exceeding 2% of the purse, must be open to geldings (excepting Group 1 races restricted to two- or three-year-olds), and must have a permanent element in the title. In addition, Group 1 races may only have sex and weight-for-age allowances, with no other weight penalties. France, Germany, Great Britain, and Ireland are
93-568: A comprehensive Pattern of black type races with an emphasis on high-class, non-handicap races, limited in number and spread throughout the season to encourage the best horses to face each other. With the general principles laid out, Lord Porchester headed a further committee in 1967 to identify specific races, both in Britain and in other countries. By the late 1960s, a state of crisis had developed with regards to international racing in Europe. At
124-618: A list of Principal Races that qualified for black type. By the mid-1980s, international agreement had been made that all graded/group races would qualify for black type designation. In 1985, concern was raised regarding a lack of opportunity to earn black type in North American compared to Europe due to the lower percentage of stakes races. This led to the development of ungraded or non-listed black type races in North America. In 1985, unrestricted allowance or handicap races with
155-642: A minimum for the race's age/sex division, or it loses black type status. From 1971 to 1984, the top three finishers in a Graded/Group race were granted black type status. In 1985, this was expanded to the top four finishers in Graded/Group races and the top three finishers in qualified races in North America. Starting in 1989, races in Part III countries were no longer recognized as black type and rules were amended so that only in Group/Grade 1 races were
186-480: A purse of $ 30,000 or greater were given black type status and designated with a Q for Qualified Race. Other added money or black type races were designated with an O or OR. In 1986, new rules for black type status in North American races were drawn up, defining listed stakes with purses of $ 50,000 or more and other added-money stakes with purses of $ 15,000 (raised to $ 20,000 in 1987) to $ 49,999. The minimum purse to qualify for black type status for other added-money stakes
217-533: Is a Group II left-handed flat race for three-year-olds and up in Brazil . It is the most important race in the state of Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Disputed over (actually) 2,400 meters, every November at Hipodromo do Cristal . The Grande Prêmio Bento Gonçalves is the oldest horse race in Brazil, having first been run in 1909. The Grande Prêmio Bento Gonçalves was created to promote horse racing with support from
248-886: Is one of a number of similar events around the world, although many are no longer restricted to three-year-olds. European variations include the Irish St. Leger , the Prix Royal-Oak , the Deutsches St. Leger and the St. Leger Italiano . Other national equivalents include the Kikuka Shō , the New Zealand St. Leger and the English St. Leger Stakes held at Doncaster . Group races The International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC), part of
279-650: Is the accepted authority for Group and Listed status in Australia. In Europe the designation of flat races is agreed by the European Pattern Committee. The Committee grades races depending on the average official ratings achieved by the first four finishers in a race over a three-year period. There is no minimum purse money across Europe. The breakdown is as follows: Under the European Pattern, Group and Listed races may not be run as
310-669: Is the accepted authority for Group and Listed status in the United Arab Emirates. The designation of graded status for jumps races is determined by individual countries. Among countries that run recognized jump races, the Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States recognize some sort of Group/Grade status for jump races. Grande Pr%C3%AAmio Bento Gon%C3%A7alves The Grande Prêmio Bento Gonçalves
341-831: The Jockey Club of Canada established the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee to take over the task. In 2012, the North American International Cataloging Standards Committee announced the implementation of additional quality control requirements for non-listed black type races in North America. The Organización Sudamericana de Fomento del Sangre Pura de Carrera (OSAF) oversees the grading of stakes races in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The Asian Pattern Committee
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#1732783258567372-604: The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe , Kentucky Derby , Melbourne Cup , Japan Cup , and Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini . Group/Grade 2 Races that have significant international importance, but are below a championship standard. Examples include the Doncaster Cup , Black-Eyed Susan Stakes , Sandown Guineas , Daily Hai Nisai Stakes , and Grande Prêmio Bento Gonçalves . Group/Grade 3 Other races of note, mainly of national rather than international importance. Examples include
403-588: The Royal Whip Stakes , British Columbia Derby , Hawkesbury Gold Cup , and Challenge Cup . Listed Races below the standard of graded or group races, but still run by horses of notable merit and performance quality. In 1943, Lord Ilchester 's Racing Reorganisation Committee first proposed the idea of a planned racing program for Great Britain. This idea was returned to in 1965, when the Duke of Norfolk 's Pattern of Racing Committee proposed formalizing
434-667: The Sha Tin Racecourse . The Asian Pattern Committee is the accepted authority for Group and Listed status in Japan, and the Japanese Graded Stakes Committee monitors and approves the grading system. All Japan Racing Association (JRA) graded stakes were opened to foreign-trained horses in 2010. In the United States and Canada, the equivalent are known as graded stakes races . The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) manages
465-581: The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) began a project grading North American stakes races and American races were first designated with graded designations, mirroring group designations in Europe. The categorical system stakes races began to spread to other countries, with Germany and Italy soon joining Great Britain, France, and Ireland in the European Pattern, Brazil starting to designate group races in 1975, Australia introducing group races in 1976, New Zealand doing
496-772: The ARB is accepted by the International Cataloguing Standards Committee (ICSC) for publication by The Jockey Club (US) in The Blue Book , thus providing international recognition for Australia's best races. Minimum purse values for group races in Australia are as follows: Australia has a total of approximately 540 to 550 Group races from a season total of almost 21,000 races. These races were collectively known as Principal Races until about 1979. Handicap races in Australia are eligible for group status. The Asian Pattern Committee
527-497: The American Graded Stakes Committee, which manages the determination of black type and grading of races in the United States. Minimum purse requirements for races are as follows: Graded races may be run in divisions (so long as the total purse among all the divisions is at least 150% that of the original purse) and may be handicaps. From 1973 to 1997, TOBA also graded Canadian races, but in 1998
558-724: The Australian Thoroughbred breeding industry, from 1932 to 1956 geldings were banned from competing in the St. Leger. Past St Leger Stakes winners include Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductees Grand Flaneur (1881), Poseidon (1907), Phar Lap (1930), Tranquil Star (1941) and Tulloch (1958). Several winners also captured Australia's most prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup . They are: Grand Flaneur (1881), Phar Lap (1930), Comic Court (1949), Delta (1950), and Gurner's Lane (1982). In 1956, Sailor's Guide won
589-504: The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), enforces quality standards for the designation of group and graded races internationally. The Group race system divides races into one of four categories, based on their prestige and quality. Group/Grade 1 The highest level, for races with major international importance considered to be of championship standard, including Classics . Examples include
620-514: The Pattern are gradual and evolutionary, thereby giving the racing industry time to adjust. In particular, the current European Pattern Committee "Ground Rules" explicitly state that no race may be upgraded by more than one Group in any one year. Great Britain has minimum purse values for some group races, as follows: There are 31 Group races held in Hong Kong . All group 1 races were held in
651-783: The United States Graded Stakes Committee granted the seven new Breeders' Cup races Grade 1 status, despite having never been run before, an unprecedented move. In 2015, the Commonwealth Cup became the first new race inaugurated with Group 1 status in the history of the European Pattern. In 1952, for their sales catalogs, Fasig-Tipton began to designate stakes winners in a pedigree using bold-face type, with winners in all caps and stakes-placed runners in mixed case, in an attempt to show buyers and breeders horses and races of note. Keeneland followed suit in 1960. In 1963, Blood Horse published
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#1732783258567682-581: The first edition of Cataloguing Standards for foreign racing. Two years later, the Jockey Club Statistical Bureau took over publication. The International Cataloguing Standards Committee (ICSC) and Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA) later defined more precisely specific races in which horses could earn black type. In 1971, the Australian Conference of Principal Race Clubs (ACPRC) developed
713-574: The government. It was first run in 1909 at Prado Riograndense. The 1910 edition was held at Hipódromo Moinhos de Vento, which continued to host the race until 1959 when it was moved to its current location of Hipódromo do Cristal . The Grande Prêmio Bento Gonçalves is named in honor of General Bento Gonçalves . Over the years, the Grande Prêmio Bento Gonçalves has been run over multiple distances: Speed record: Most wins: Jockeys with multiple wins: Most wins by
744-410: The increase in international racing. British, French, and Irish authorities met in 1970 to discuss developing a Pattern race system, and in 1971 the European Pattern Committee was established and the first European Pattern published. European authorities began to push North American jurisdictions to develop a similar system designating prominent races to promote international competition. In 1973,
775-571: The member countries of the European Pattern Committee, with Italy, Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), and Turkey as associate members. The pattern system, overseen by the European Pattern Committee, is fluid and the Group status of key races can change. By this method, the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot was upgraded from Group 2 to Group 1 in the year 2000. However, a number of checks and balances are in place which ensure that changes to
806-619: The race and in 1958 raced in North America where he defeated a top international field in the forerunner to the Breeders' Cup Turf , the then very prestigious Washington, D.C. International Stakes . The St. Leger was hosted by Moonee Valley Racecourse in 2001 and again in 2007 due to track refurbishments being carried out at the Flemington racecourse. The race was held over a distance of 14 furlongs, 132 yards until 1973 when it
837-475: The same in 1979, and Japan implementing a graded race structure in 1984, among other countries. In 1983, the International Cataloguing Standards Committee (ICSC) and Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers were created and the first International Cataloguing Standards Booklet was published, with the objective of preventing discrepancies and imbalances in the designation of Group or Grade and black type status among different jurisdictions. In 1984,
868-460: The time, weight penalties were determined by the amount of money won. French races were significantly richer than those in other European countries, resulting in complaints that many important French races were being "plundered" by foreign horses carrying less weight. Pressure was being applied to restrict races to only horses trained in France in order to prevent this, which would have greatly hampered
899-616: The top four finishers granted black type. The following year, the rules were once again amended, so that only the top three finishers in black type races are granted black type status. The recognition of the black type status of jump races is based on regional preference. In Australia , the Australian Pattern Committee recommends to the Australian Racing Board (ARB) which races shall be designated as Group races. The list of races approved by
930-445: Was modified to the metric distance of 2800 metres. In 1975 the race was run over 2700 metres. In 2001 and 2007, the distance was changed to 2500 metres when the race was run at Moonee Valley Racecourse while Flemington was under redevelopment. Previously tied with T.J. Smith at six wins, in 2005 Bart Cummings set the record for most victories by a trainer when he won the race for the seventh time. † Dead heat The VRC St. Leger
961-663: Was raised to $ 25,000 starting in 1990. Over the years, the minimum purse for black type status in North American races has increased, and is $ 50,000 as of 2023. In 2012, the North American ICSC introduced a scoring system to determine whether or not non-listed stakes should be granted black type. Since 2014, each race is assigned a Race Quality Score (RQS), based on speed figures for the top four finishers with data from Bloodstock Research Information Services (BRIS), Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form , Equibase, and Thoro-Graph. The three-year average RQS must meet