Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Asian Racing Federation (ARF) has confirmed its decisions on all Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Listed races in Australia for the 2026-27 racing season, delivering significant changes and adjustments to the nation's black type program.
The Golden Eagle gets the Group 1 nod as the Victoria Derby remains a Group 1
Headlining the changes is the lucrative Golden Eagle that only 4-year-olds are eligible for, which has been elevated to Group 1 status, becoming one of 19 new black type races introduced for the new season. Meanwhile, the time-honoured Victoria Derby has retained its Group 1 classification.
A further 11 races have been upgraded across the pattern, while only one race has been downgraded. The Stan Fox Stakes will drop from Group 2 to Group 3 status for the 2026-27 season.
While the ARF has described the Asian Pattern Committee's (APC) oversight as a temporary arrangement, it has made it clear it will retain control of Australia's pattern racing system until the country demonstrates it has re-established a governance framework that complies with APC Ground Rules.
| Concorde Stakes | Group 3 | Group 2 |
| Kingston Town Stakes | Group 3 | Group 2 |
| City Tattersall’s Lightning Stakes | Group 3 | Group 2 |
| Craven Plate | Group 3 | Group 2 |
| Spring Preview | Listed | Group 3 |
| Chautauqua Stakes | Listed | Group 3 |
| Poseidon Stakes | Listed | Group 3 |
| Cap d’Antibes Stakes | Listed | Group 3 |
| Heritage Stakes | Listed | Group 3 |
| Reginald Allen Quality | Listed | Group 3 |
| Starstruck Classic | Listed | Group 3 |
Table: Upgraded races
| The Shorts | Group 2 | Group 2 (Remains) |
| Toy Show Quality | Group 3 | Group 3 (Remains) |
| San Domenico Stakes | Group 3 | Group 3 (Remains) |
| The Gold Rush | Group 3 | Group 3 (Remains) |
| W. H. Wylie Handicap | Listed | Listed (Remains) |
| Dulcify Stakes | Listed | Listed (Remains) |
| Burgess Queen Stakes | Listed | Listed (Remains) |
| Christmas Cup | Listed | Listed (Remains) |
| R. S. Crawford Stakes | Listed | Listed (Remains) |
Table: Considered for upgrade, but unchanged
| Golden Eagle | None | Group 1 |
| The Invitation | None | Group 2 |
| Russell Balding Stakes | None | Group 2 |
| Alan Brown Stakes | None | Group 3 |
| ATC St. Leger Stakes | None | Group 3 |
| The Gong | None | Group 3 |
| Unite Resourcing – Max Simmonds Stakes | None | Listed |
| Tapp-Craig Stakes | None | Listed |
| Rosehill Gold Cup | None | Listed |
| Big Dance | None | Listed |
| Golden Gift | None | Listed |
| The Beauford | None | Listed |
| The Baker Group 3yo Cup | None | Listed |
| The Wharf Mooloolaba Swiss Ace Plate | None | Listed |
| The Warra | None | Listed |
Table: New black type races
| 7 Stakes | None | Group 2 (Lower than requested) |
| Five Diamonds | None | Group 3 (Lower than requested) |
| Silver Eagle | None | Listed (Lower than requested) |
| The Hunter | None | Listed (Lower than requested) |
Table: Granted black type but lower than requested to be
| Five Diamonds Prelude | No Black Type | No Black Type (Remains) |
Table: No granted black type
| Stan Fox Stakes | Group 2 | Group 3 |
Table: Downgraded race
| The Metropolitan | Group 1 | Group 1 (Remains) |
| Railway Stakes | Group 1 | Group 1 (Remains) |
| Victoria Derby | Group 1 | Group 1 (Remains) |
Table: Considered for downgrade but left as it is
How did the ARF reach these decisions?
The process began in December 2025 when the Asian Racing Federation determined that, given the circumstances surrounding Australia's pattern system, the Asian Pattern Committee would assume responsibility for all black type decisions. That ruling transferred authority for every Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Listed race in Australia to the APC.
To restore effective quality control ahead of the 2026-27 season, the ARF introduced a special decision-making process to ensure all upgrade and downgrade decisions were completed before the new racing year commenced.
As part of that process, Racing Australia submitted applications seeking upgrades for existing black type races, while also proposing the addition of non-black type races to the Australian pattern. It also made submissions on races that had been provisionally identified for either a warning or downgrade under the APC Ground Rules.
This was done by a seven-person strong Black Type Advisory Group which included several prominent figures from across the bloodstock and breeding sectors: Barry Bowditch, Sebastian Hutch, Antony Thompson, Andy Makiv, Adrian Hancock, Jon Freyer and Duncan Grimley.
Gallery: Black Type Advisory Group
These members were not able to hold positions with Racing Australia, the state Principal Racing Authorities (PRAs) or racing clubs, ensuring the group provides independent advice.
Between June 24 and 26, 2026, the ARF Handicappers' Committee held a special conference to finalise end-of-season ratings for horses rated above 112 across ARF jurisdictions, including Australia. The committee also assessed the ratings of the first four placegetters in every Group 1 race conducted within the ARF Pattern. Those ratings formed a key part of the APC's assessment.
The APC then convened a special meeting on July 2 to consider Racing Australia's submissions and provisionally determine the status of all Australian black type races staged between August and December 2025. The meeting was designed to ensure the Australian industry had certainty over any changes before those races were run again, while races requiring further assessment will be reviewed at the APC's next meeting in September 2026.
Following the meeting, Racing Australia was advised of the APC's provisional decisions and invited to comment before they were finalised. On July 9, Racing Australia confirmed it accepted every provisional recommendation.
With Racing Australia's endorsement secured, the APC submitted its final recommendations to the ARF Executive Council, which has now ratified and approved the changes.
The decisions have also been forwarded to the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. IRPAC will, in turn, report any significant changes to the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA) before they are published in the 2027 International Cataloguing Standards (ICS) Book.
