Columbus, OH — Graded stakes information will debut in harness racing yearling sales catalog pedigree pages beginning in 2025, the U.S. Trotting Association announced Monday. The move comes as the result of standards created by a Graded Stakes Committee that was formed in 2023 at the request of major sales companies and breeders, with the support of the USTA.

The purpose of the 11-member committee was to provide the harness racing industry with a guide to the relative quality and racing class of horses by identifying U.S. and Canadian races whose recent renewals have consistently attracted the highest quality competition.

USTA catalog pedigree pages will display stakes grades for 2023 and 2024, as well as Grade 1 winners back to 2021. Grades for stakes will be available for racetracks to use for marketing purposes but will not be ready for past performances until a later date.

“This is an opportunity to promote the Grand Circuit and the top open races this industry has always wanted to showcase,” said USTA Vice Chairperson Mark Loewe, who chaired the Graded Stakes Committee. “It’s a pretty big thing. This is something that’s been talked about for many years, and whether people agree with the grades or not, it’s something I think the industry has needed for a long time. We really think graded stakes will be advantageous for everyone involved.”

The committee reviewed races from 2021-2024 and used tiered purse requirements to establish Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 stakes. A points system to determine the quality of fields, based on horses’ performances in graded stakes, also was created and will be considered, along with field size, for the grading of races starting in year two of the process. A race may be upgraded or downgraded, regardless of purse, based on its point value.

A stakes race will not be considered for grading unless it has a total purse of:

For male horses – $75,000 to $174,999 for Grade 3, $175,000 to $349,999 for Grade 2, and $350,000 and up for Grade 1. For female horses – $75,000 to $124,999 for Grade 3, $125,000 to $249,999 for Grade 2, and $250,000 and up for Grade 1.

Purses are based on the host country’s dollar value. Elimination races and consolation races are not eligible for grading regardless of purse. Races with conditions allowing for divisions cannot be graded on total purse, and regardless of purse, drop one grade. Invitationals with a minimum purse of $100,000 can be graded.

“We needed a starting point, and purses was the jumping off point,” Loewe said. “As it evolves, we’ll get into purses plus points. This is not something based on one person’s opinion, it’s based on facts and specific criteria.

“Nothing will probably be adjusted for at least two years. We’ve got to give tracks the opportunity to make adjustments and have a little more history before something is done.”

A second tier of purse-based grades was created for state- or province- restricted stakes (R1, R2, R3) and for now will apply only to sire stakes finals. Other restricted stakes will be addressed in the future.

“What to do with restricted races was a big discussion,” said Graded Stakes Committee member Steve Stewart of Hunterton Farm. “If certain horses can go in a race, and other ones can’t, that is not a true graded race. So, we came up with the ‘R’ designation, which I think accomplishes what we were trying to do. It acknowledges success and quality of horse, but also lets people know it’s different from a graded race.

“You’re never going to make everybody happy, but we’re trying to do what is best for the sport. I feel like at the end of the day we’re going to accomplish our goal.”

Stewart said the addition of graded stakes on pedigree pages would create a more vivid documentation of a horse’s accomplishments.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Stewart said. “You want to identify quality. That’s what the job is of a pedigree. It’s kind of like winning an Academy Award. That’s how you’re branded. It identifies you. You’re more than just an actor.

“It really makes a difference. This is such a step in the right direction.”

As part of the process of creating graded stakes for harness racing, the committee reviewed the work done on the Thoroughbred side for its graded stakes program, which was founded in 1973, as well as previous Standardbred committees.

Chris McErlean, a USTA director and vice president of Penn Entertainment Inc., which operates both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing properties, served as an advisor to the Graded Stakes Committee.

“I think the benefits of the grading system are twofold,” McErlean said. “First and foremost, it gives some order and some standardization for the breeding side and pedigree side. There is always the debate where certain races stand in the pecking order for pedigrees and breeding purposes, and this sets some order to the hierarchy of races.

“The second part, and this is something on the Thoroughbred side that I think has worked very well, it becomes a marketing tool for racetracks to use to promote their races and attract better horses. Especially at tracks like ours. Charles Town has the Charles Town Classic, which is a solid Grade 2 event. It’s been able to attract horses that have competed in Grade 1 races, won Grade 1 races, or went on to win Grade 1 races.

“People looking for breeding credentials for a horse will be attracted to that type of race. It kind of feeds upon itself. You attract more graded horses and that helps your standing going forward and enhances your ability to attract more graded horses to that race. We’ve definitely found value in that from a marketing standpoint.”

Stewart envisions graded stakes in harness racing making a similar impact as tracks vie to attract top horses, or enhance purses, to improve or maintain grades for their races.

“I think we all wake up in the morning and we’re all competitive,” Stewart said. “When you start grading races, people want to be a part of it and figure out a way to make themselves better and compete with other jurisdictions. Competition is a wonderful thing. And bragging rights, I guess you might say. If you don’t have a grading system, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Tentatively, the Graded Stakes Committee is scheduled to meet in mid- to late November to confirm 2024 grades and propose 2025 grading.

“This is a fluid situation,” Loewe said. “There will be an annual review. Every year it could change, but it’s not going to change dramatically from year to year because then it doesn’t have any credibility. There were a lot of discussions to ultimately come to an end document.”

Beginning in 2026, the Graded Stakes Committee will consist of 11 members serving three-year staggered terms, with the ability to serve three terms. The committee will be made up of two representatives from Standardbred Canada, one from the Hambletonian Society, and eight selected by the USTA. Those eight shall include two breeders, two sales company representatives, three racetrack representatives, and one at-large representative.

Current members of the committee will continue to serve, with their terms expiring in 2027. Current members, in addition to Loewe and Stewart, are Chris Antonacci, Steve Jones, Darryl Kaplan, Mike Klau, Rich Mattei, Mark McKelvie, David Reid, Seth Rosenfeld, and Peter Szymanski.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA