Lead Story
REJECTED!
APC blocks more than 40 proposed upgrades throughout Australia, along with four NSW Group 1s
By Trevor Marshallsea
@ANZ_News
Racing Australia (RA) will go back to the drawing board this week after a bid to make four more NSW races Group 1s - and upgrade more than 40 other events around the country without making downgrades - was rejected by the Asian Racing Federation’s Asian Pattern Committee (APC).
What's On
Australia’s black type impasse continues as the move for a vast suite of upgrades was rejected at last Thursday’s meeting of the APC.
ANZ News understands that following a push by Racing NSW, a proposal was put to the APC to upgrade four Randwick races to Group 1 level.
This would have encompassed adding the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) and the $3m Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) to the black type pattern on the top rung, while also upgrading key Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) lead-up the Premier Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and the autumn’s Apollo Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) - races currently worth $1 million and $300,000 respectively.
But ANZ News also understands RA went to the APC seeking approval for upgrades to more than 40 other races across the country. These did not include any mooted new Group 1s.
All proposed upgrades were rejected by the APC on the grounds Australia does not have a proper black type committee to decide on the status of races, and does not operate under an APC-approved system of ground rules for determining the pattern, ANZ understands.
Lengthy debate on Australia’s broken black type situation, and on possible ways to resolve it, ensued at the meeting.
Advertisement
_Mon15Sept_page_1.jpeg)
RA attended the Zoom conference after its scheduled board meeting late last month - which would have aimed to achieve a resolution to Australia’s black type shambles - was cancelled at the last minute, due to a realisation agreement between the states was highly unlikely.
Late last year, the national body put forward a new system of black type guidelines to address both the fact Australia has not had a pattern committee since 2018, and legal advice that because of the country’s federated state system, traditional ways of determining the pattern across the country could run counter to anti-competition laws.
Those guidelines would be based mainly on race ratings - rankling proponents of a traditional black type committee with discretionary powers to determine black type status bearing in mind other factors. These would include the cultural and historical significance of races, helping, for example, to ensure smaller states preserved their number of black type events, especially Group 1s.
Such matters had been expected to be addressed at RA’s board meeting before it was cancelled.
It’s believed the new and vast list of 40-plus races slated for upgrades had been determined on ratings alone. The fact they were spread around the country might at least suggest there has been dialogue between the states, after years of tension.
Not only was the APC dissatisfied with Australia’s lack of a functioning pattern committee, another sticking point was the list of proposed upgrades was put forward without acknowledgement of the need for downgrades.
Australia has had no races downgraded for some 13 years.
Australia now has 608 black type races, up from 549 in 2000. The proposals tabled at the APC meeting would have pushed the number past 650 - a figure which critics charge, in the continuing absence of downgrades, dilutes the Australian black type product, and erodes its significance.
ANZ News understands the RA proposals were not killed off completely at the APC meeting, but were rejected pending the presentation of more information about how Australia intends to determine its black type races.
They are, however, considered long odds of being approved - unless Australia radically overhauls its current black type situation, addressing the APC’s concerns.
Meanwhile, the status of the 18 NSW races run under supposed upgrades since the start of last season remain unapproved by the APC - meaning those “upgrades” are not reflected in sales catalogues.
Amid much confusion, RNSW and RA continue to advertise the 18 under their unapproved new gradings. The next one of these comes up on October 11 with the Tapp-Craig (1400m), which was “upgraded” from non-black type to Listed.
After that comes three in one day - Everest day on October 18 - with faux Group 3s in the Reginald Allen Quality (1400m), the ATC St Leger (2600m) and the Silver Eagle (1300m). The latter two supposedly entered the pattern as Group 3s, while the Reginald Allen was “upgraded” from Listed.
Advertisement
_page_1.jpeg)
'The world is his oyster now' - Australian Bloodstock’s Al Riffa cut for Melbourne Cup as he proves a class apart in Irish St Leger romp
By Lydia Symonds
Australian Bloodstock have a knack of buying high-class European imports and they look to have another brilliant one on their hands in the shape of the Joseph O’Brien-trained Al Riffa (Wootton Bassett), who advertised his Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) potential with an ultra-dominant performance in the Irish St Leger (Gr 1, 1m 6f) at the Curragh on Sunday.
Australian Bloodstock purchased the dual Group 1-winning son of Coolmore’s star shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) at the end of last month with the Flemington showpiece on the first Tuesday in November in mind and he more than justified their faith with an imperious display in the final Classic of the European season.
Winning rider Dylan Browne McMonagle was recording his first Classic win with this success, and his mount moved powerfully through the pack from off the pace before sprinting four lengths clear of King Edward VII Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 4f) winner Amiloc (Postponed) to end the three-year-old's unbeaten run.
Al Qareem (Awtaad) was third, another four and a quarter lengths off the pace.
Bookmakers in Europe responded by slashing Al Riffa’s price for the Melbourne Cup to 6-1 favourite ($7) from 12-1 ($13).
O’Brien said: “We knew the guys that were guaranteed stayers were going to try to expose the stamina of those that weren’t, and the pace was really strong.
“Dylan was cool on the horse and confident. He’s been a great horse for us, he always turns up and runs his race and I’m delighted for the ownership group.
“It was a gruelling race, but we’ll freshen him up and hopefully get him to the Melbourne Cup.
“He’s two for two now since he’s gone up in trip and he has the right attributes. He settles well, he has a turn of foot, and he stays. Hopefully we have a smooth preparation.”
Lovett added: “He was perfectly prepared by Joseph and his team, and we’re delighted to be a part of it.
“He wasn’t a hard horse to identify when he went out to 2800 metres last time. That convinced us that he might be the horse to try to win the Melbourne Cup.
“He’ll need to carry weight because they won’t miss him, but I feel sure he’s the right horse to do that.
“Joseph knows how to win the race, and we have four Melbourne Cups between us.”
Advertisement
_page_1.jpeg)
Australian Bloodstock have a proven track record with northern hemisphere imports, highlighted by their 2022 Melbourne Cup triumph with fellow French-bred Gold Trip (Outstrip), while they tasted success in the Flemington showpiece for the first time in 2014 with Protectionist (Monsun), who was bred in Germany.
This year Australian Bloodstock will likely also be represented in the race by last year’s favourite Vauban (Galiway), who they purchased last year and relocated him from Willie Mullins to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Jamie Lovett, director of Australian Bloodstock, confirmed to ANZ News last month that the horse will stay in training with O’Brien and, while the Melbourne Cup is the entire’s main aim, he could also venture on an international campaign which could include both Dubai and Hong Kong.
Before Sunday, Al Riffa had tasted elite-level success on two previous occasions, his first coming in the National Stakes (Gr 1, 7f) as a two-year-old, while he also took out last year’s Grosser Preis von Berlin (Gr 1, 2400m) in Germany.
Bred by Sarl De Chambure Haras D'Etreham Et Al in France, Al Riffa is the third foal out of the unraced Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Love On My Mind, herself a sister to Group 3 winner and Ascot Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m 4f) second Mizzou.
Like the owners, O’Brien will be aiming to win the Melbourne Cup for a third time, having won it first with Rekindling (High Chaparral) in 2017, before Twilight Payment (Teofilo) handed the trainer a second victory in the Group 1 in 2020.
Al Riffa is still entire so could follow in the footsteps of Gold Trip who now stands at Lovatsville in Victoria for a fee of $8,800 (inc GST).
Al Riffa (FR)
5yo: (18 Feb 20 b h)
Trainer: Joseph O'Brien
Owner: Australian Bloodstock
Sire: Wootton Bassett
Dam: Love On My Mind
Dam's Sire: Galileo
Breeder: Sarl De Chambure Haras D'Etreham Et Al
