RA set to review current black type situation
Australia could be on the way to again having a body resembling a normal black type pattern committee after confirmation that a Racing Australia (RA) review of the current moribund system was under way.
Rob Rorrison, an RA board member and Australia’s representative on international bodies including the Asian Racing Federation’s (ARF) Asian Pattern Committee (APC), told ANZ News the RA review was “progressing” with the aim of having “a working pattern and that it’s recognised”.
It follows years of inactivity in Australia’s black type situation, with interstate wars meaning effectively that no pattern committee has existed since it last met in 2018.
The problem built to a crisis early this season when Peter V’landys’ Racing NSW (RNSW) went it alone in isolation from other states and announced upgrades for 17 races. While gazetted as upgraded on RA data banks, the 17 – which have all now been run – are not recognised as upgraded by the APC. Nor are they recognised by Arion, the southern hemisphere’s largest supplier of pedigrees, and thus they are not reflected in sales catalogues.
While the review of Australia’s pattern situation has apparently progressed behind closed doors, in keeping with much of RA’s work in recent years, sources have told ANZ names have been discussed for potential appointees to a new black type committee.
It would also be drawn from a cross-section of industry stakeholders, including breeders and sales houses, with representation from various states.
RA last October announced the Australian pattern system had been reviewed with the idea of a traditional pattern committee replaced by the new “Australian Black Type Guidelines”.
The system was said by RA to have been endorsed by all of Australia’s Principal Racing Authorities (PRAs). It would involve an Australian Classifications Committee (ACC), comprising representatives from each PRA, meeting regularly to recommend upgrades and downgrades.
RA said the guidelines would cater for Australia’s “unique racing environment”, recognising “any potential implications from Australian competition law perspective” – a reference to old pattern committee guidelines blocking states from staging Group 1s in competition with those in other states.
V’landys, NSW’s representative on the RA board, has in the past alleged the black type pattern conflicted with Australia’s anti-competition laws.
However, in the wake of fierce industry backlash, particularly from breeders, and the rejection of mooted upgrades for “the NSW 17” by the ARF, moves have been afoot at RA to rebuild something approaching a traditional pattern committee.
While ANZ understands the committee would work in conjunction with October’s announced Black Type Guidelines, it would finally act upon downgrades. Upgrades would likely be recommended on virtually automatic grounds, for races meeting ratings thresholds for three successive years. Status changes would still need final approval from the APC.
Sources say the committee would be called on for judgment on aspects including whether races with sagging ratings should have their black type status preserved for reasons such as cultural and historical significance.
Australia has had several upgrades in recent years, notably last year’s elevation of Randwick’s The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) and Victoria’s All-Star Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) to elite status, a move which did gain the approval of the ARF. However, as the system has descended into gridlock, the country has had no downgrades for almost 13 years.
ANZ understands time is running tight for any changes. Australia would need to have its new committee in place and proposed upgrades and downgrades submitted to Asian authorities by a deadline of late August – before the APC’s meeting in early September – or no changes will be approved by the ARF for next season.
In any event, while some industry participants expressed scepticism over the news, Rorrison said the review was at least in motion.
He added, however, that any new pattern committee – which would ultimately require ARF approval – would recognise Australia’s anti-competition laws, and thus be different to those in other jurisdictions.
“The pattern guidelines remain the domain of Racing Australia. Racing Australia is still working on getting from A to B, and hopefully will get there soon. That review is under way,” said Rorrison, Australia’s representative to the ARF, APC and the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities.
He added: “Everybody’s keen that we get to a position where we have a working pattern and that it’s recognised.
“Whether the final position is exactly the same as Asian pattern guidelines, I think we’re all aware that with the legal system the way it is here in Australia that we’re going to end up having something slightly different to what other people have got, just because we’ve got to cater for the jurisdiction that we’re in.”
Rorrison confirmed this was a reference to anti-competition laws.
“Each state runs its own business. That’s always been the way,” he said. “Each state is governed by different legislation. Each state has different funding models.
“We’ve essentially got six, seven or eight different businesses [states] in Australia which are subject to competition law.
“While we have a federation, if you like, from the Racing Australia perspective with things like the pattern and rules et cetera, we are still completely different business units.”
Asked about the late August deadline, Rorrison said: “From a Racing Australia perspective, the aim has got to be to get it right in a timely manner.”
One source familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the push to form a new pattern committee had been well advanced at RA meetings.
“Many names were thrown around. Any combination of six of the 12 or 14 names being thrown around would do a good job,” the source said, adding the names were from “different stakeholder groups”.
“You’d certainly want the breeders involved, sales houses involved, and I think you’d need a cross section across states as well to make sure we cover all parts of the breeding industry. To make sure we have that is very important to RA.”
The source added: “The APC has wanted movement for the last 12 months. They’re very keen to get a resolution, and I think RA is now also very keen to get a resolution.
“It’s dragged on for long enough. There’s an appetite that this needs to be solved.”
Another well-placed source told ANZ on Monday that V’landys – whose state has veto power at RA along with Victoria – was prepared to abandon his reluctance over a functioning black type committee if Rosehills Golden Eagle (1500m) was also admitted to the pattern at the top level.
V’landys responded through a spokesman, saying: “That’s a complete fallacy.” The RNSW CEO had no other comment to make on the review.
Thoroughbred Breeders NSW (TBNSW) president Hamish Esplin remained sceptical about the supposed breakthrough.
“I’ll believe it when I see it. I’ve heard it all before,” Esplin, also a Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) director, told ANZ.
Esplin expressed his disappointment that if an RA review of the black type shambles was taking place, breeders had apparently not been informed.
“Breeders don’t know anything about it. I’ve not been asked about it,” he said. “There’s been no involvement of TBNSW in respect of how we would participate at all, and as a director of TBA, I’m not aware of anyone being approached by any of the PRAs, let alone Racing Australia, as to how the TBA might play a role.
“I don’t accept any of this. This era of ‘policy is under way – we’ll tell you when it’s done’, it’s just wrong. It’s been like that for a decade. Why should I accept this notion?
“I’m not going to sit back and clap and say, ‘This is wonderful – the sport’s finally got itself organised’. It has not got itself organised.
“If they think that it’s been solved because there’s a review under way or there’s been committee meetings about the constitution about how this pattern committee would work, or that it was raised last year by the ACC, which I’ve never heard of, and that I’ve seen nothing about subsequently … I don’t accept any of it. It’s a nursery rhyme.
“I’m happy to be corrected if and when it presents itself, but I’ve seen no evidence to that end.”
Esplin repeated his call for Australia to return to having a proper, functioning pattern committee.
“For some reason, the discourse around the pattern and black type racing has been hijacked and made subservient to some other goal – that goal being competition between states, or tit for tat,” he said. “All of that is irrelevant.
“We need a normal black type committee, and it should have a broad range of voices who can provide an opinion to it. A system whereby it’s left to the vagaries and opinions of PRAs has not been the correct one, because look at where we are today.”
RA will hope a new committee with Australian characteristics – ie, recognising anti-competition law to let states run Group 1s in opposition to each other – gains the approval of ARF chiefs.
In the meantime, the question of the 17 races already run under their supposed upgrades – to as high as the two “Group 2s” of The Invitation (1400m) and Newcastle’s The Hunter (1300m) – remains unresolved.
Amid doubts about whether they could have their purported black type status approved retrospectively, connections of winners and placegetters are still in the dark as to whether the black type status their horses allegedly earned in those races will ever be ratified.
RA CEO Paul Eriksson was contacted by ANZ for this article.