Graded stakes race

The American Graded Stakes Committee grades only races that:[1]

• Have a purse of at least $75,000 for a listed race, $100,000 for Grade III, $200,000 for Grade II, and $300,000 for Grade I.
• Have been run for two years under fundamentally the same conditions. (The race's distance for example may be slightly altered, but age and sex conditions may not.)
• Restrict entries only by age and sex. For example, a race may be restricted to three-year-old fillies and be eligible for grading. However, races that are restricted by where the horse is bred are not eligible for grading.
• Have post-race drug testing managed by a governmental authority.
• Follow rules for androgenic-anabolic steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, allowing only Boldenone, Nandrolone, Stanozolol, and testosterone. (This is a minimum standard; some racing jurisdictions have even higher restrictions on medications)

In 2008, the committee began requiring that toe grabs on the horseshoe, designed to improve traction, be no longer than 2 millimeters. This was in response to studies by Susan Stover showing that such toe grabs substantially increase the risk of catastrophic racing injuries.[2][3] They have also discussed a phase-out on the race day use of furosemide (Lasix).[4]

A newly established race may inherit the graded status of a discontinued race if it is held at the same facility under essentially identical conditions as the discontinued race. For example, the inaugural running of the Pegasus World Cup in January 2017 was Grade I, inheriting the status of the discontinued Donn Handicap.[5]

There are four grade levels, from Listed at the bottom to Grade I at the top. The latter are higher-class races for bigger prizes for horses of the same age group (2, 3 or 3 and up) and may further be restricted by sex. The weight conditions of the races may vary provided they meet the committee's standards to ensure competitiveness. Many grade I races are "weight-for-age", with weights adjusted only according to age and sex, and also there are "set weights" where all horses carry the same weight (usually applicable when all horses are of the same age and sex). Furthermore, there are "conditions" races, in which horses carry weights that are set by conditions, such as having won a certain number of races, or races of a certain value. Finally, some graded stakes are "handicaps", in which an official handicapper assigns weights to each horse in an attempt to equalize the competition.

Note that all Grade I races must have a purse of at least $300,000, but not all races with such high purses are Grade I. For example, the racetrack may be offering a high purse to attract better fields so the race will be upgraded in future years. The grade level is assigned by looking at data that indicates quality of the field for the last five years. In order to achieve or maintain a Grade I, it is necessary to attract a competitive field over a number of years.

For graded turf races, track conditions (normally excessive rain) may sometimes force the race to be run on the main (dirt) track. If this happens, the race is automatically downgraded by one grade level for that running only. The Committee then reviews the race within five days and may restore the original grade. For example, a Grade I turf race that is switched to the dirt will be recorded as a Grade II race, unless the committee feels the quality of the race was sufficient to warrant Grade I.

In the United States and Canada, a graded race can be dormant for one year without losing its grade.

• Group One
• List of horse races
• List of American and Canadian Graded races

• Graded Stakes Database
• Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association
• An Explanation of the American Graded Stakes Process
• Graded stakes committee to require adoption of steroid, toe grab rules Archived 2021-03-29 at the Wayback Machine