A GROUP 1 REVIEW WILL ONLY BE MEANINGFUL IF NSW AND VICTORIA LEAVE THEIR DIFFERENCES AT THE DOOR

By Graham Potter | Thursday, August 18, 2022

Calls are growing for a revamp of the Group 1 roster in Australia with a premier series of Group 1 races also being touted as a serious option.

The argument in recent years has often been about whether there are too many Group 1 races in the country, whether certain of those races actually deserve that elite status and why some outstanding races that clearly should be given the Group 1 nod of approval are still without that designation behind their name.

The obvious race in the latter category is The Everest with the unrestrained, unhappy divide between Racing NSW and Racing Victoria being enough, under the current system, to short-circuit The Everest’s elevation to what many believe to be its rightly place in any Group 1 line-up.

Trainer Michael Freedman put that situation in perspective when talking to Racenet.

“There are some Group 1 races that you could reasonably query if they should be Group 1 races,” said Freedman, “but I think everyone agrees The Everest should be a Group 1 and although politically that is probably not that palatable for the Victorian contingent, the fact is The Everest is the best sprint in the southern hemisphere, if not the world.

“There are other races that deserve a higher status. I don’t know if there are too many Group 1 races, but I think there is room to re-evaluate, and expanding the number of Grand Slams is definitely worth consideration.”

Gary Crispe is responsible for producing the Australian Timeform Ratings and, as such, he is an authority on the subject.

His message could not be any clearer.

“Racing has evolved considerably over the last five years or so with the emergence of these event races (such as The Everest, the Golden Eagle and the All Star Mile) which are proving popular with the industry and attracting excellent quality fields,” Crispe told Racenet.

“It seems reasonable that where they meet the criteria for Group 1 status, they should be elevated into the Pattern.”

The premier series of Group 1 races, that has been mentioned, really relates to expanding the time-honoured Grand Slam of racing … the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper … to include a bigger representation of races, but arguably that will be a far more difficult sell compared to changing the status of individual races.

Some traditions are likely to hold firm.

And, on the other side of the coin, that still leaves the debate open as to whether some Group 1 races should be downgraded.

The bottom line is a complete review and, if settled on, a possible revamp of the Group 1 racing scene in Australia is overdue … and, whatever the outcome, for that review meeting to happen sooner rather than later will be of obvious benefit to the industry … but, then again, that would only be a meaningful exercise if Racing Victoria and Racing New South Wales leave their differences at the door!