Graded Stakes for Next Year- The Recap

Well yesterday the Graded Stakes for next year where announced. The biggest mover and shaker was that the BC Juvenile Turf was made a G1 while the Clement Hirsch Turf Championship was downgraded to a G2. The Juvy Turf now becomes the only Juvenile G1 that is run on turf, so it makes sense that it's a G1. However, I'm really disapointed that that was the only major change that they made.

I find the Juvy Turf a bit of an enigma of a race. Technically speaking, the American Graded Stakes committee is supposed to look at the entire field. However, for a minute lets just at the winners only.

Since the race was established in 2007, here is what the Winners have done since.

2007: Nownownow- Has won only once since
2008: Donativum- Has won only once since, did not make a start this year
2009: Pounced- Has not made a start since
2010: Pluck- being pointed too the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket

Now this race is getting better as time goes on. Still there is something when the top 2yo from this year Frankel (who is named for the late Bobby Frankel) doesn't come over.

As for the Clement Hirsch, it's a bit of a dispointment as that is the big California race for the BC.

What does the Fantasy and Delaware Oaks need to do in order to get the G1 destinction that both of those races deserve. There are some races like the Clark and Ashland that I don't think have the fields recently to show it was deserving of a G1 status. It doesn't help that I really don't care for either of those races.

Sigh, at least there's 2012.