All 2022 Flat European Pattern and listed races were reviewed with a number of changes approved during the 2023 primary meeting of the European Pattern Committee (EPC) at the offices of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) in Co. Kildare on Feb. 3.
At the close of the meeting, 827 black-type races (852 in 2022) will be run in Europe this year, consisting of 412 group races (425 in 2022) and 415 listed races (427 in 2022). Several races were upgraded, among them the Listed 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown in April, which now holds Group 3 status, and Ireland was also the recipient of a new one-mile listed race for fillies and mares, aged three and up at Navan. Germany will hold two new listed races–a 3000-metre affair (3yo/up) at Hannover in July and a 2000-metre event for 2-year-olds at the same course in October. Sweden’s Challenge S., for 3-year-olds and up over seven furlongs, has also been raised to listed status. The 2600-metre Wielka Warszawska (3yo/up), Poland’s flagship race, has also been upgraded to listed status, as the EPC continues to support emerging racing nations in the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation.
Among the other alterations for Pattern races across Europe, the G1 Prix Saint-Alary in France (3yo, f, 2000m) will move from late May to the Poule d’Essai day on May 14; the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (4yo/up, 2400m) will move back a week to that course’s evening fixture on July 8; and in Ireland, the G2 Curragh Cup (3yo/up, 14f) will move from June’s Irish Derby weekend to the Irish Oaks weekend on July 22.
A total of 11 Pattern races and eight listed races have been downgraded as follows:
France
- G2 Greffulhe downgraded to Group 3
- G2 Hocquart downgraded to Group 3
Germany
- G2 Badener Meile downgraded to Group 3
- G3 Von Lotto Hamburg downgraded to listed
- Listed Grosser Preis Von Meravis loses listed status
- Listed Grosser Preis der Sparkasse Hannover loses listed status
- Listed Sparkassenpreis loses listed status
- Listed Dusseldorfer Stutenpreis loses listed status
Ireland
- G2 Kilboy Estate downgraded to Group 3
- G3 Concorde downgraded to listed
Italy
- G2 Milano downgraded to Group 3
- G2 Federico Tesio downgraded to Group 3
- G3 Tudini downgraded to listed
- G3 Sergio Cumani downgraded to listed
- G3 Umbria downgraded to listed
- Listed Criterium Nazionale loses listed status
- Listed Gardone loses listed status
- Listed Bersaglio loses listed status
- Listed Unire loses listed status
There are also 48 Pattern and listed races at risk of a potential downgrade in 2024 depending on their performance this year: Britain (2), France (8), Germany (13), Ireland (4), Italy (16), Scandinavia (4), and Turkey (1).
Jason Morris, Chair of the EPC, said, “2023 will see a significant reduction in the number of Flat group and listed races staged within Europe, with 25 less black-type races to be staged overall. This reflects the voluntary downgrades that Britain has already announced for this year to aid the competitiveness of their Pattern race programme as part of an on-going strategic review. Downgrades were also applied by the European Pattern Committee to a number of Group 2, Group 3 and listed races under ground rules which strictly enforce the highest standards of international quality control with underperforming races facing automatic demotion.
“At the same time the committee remains keen to encourage the development of the sport in the smaller racing jurisdictions throughout Europe, and Poland will now become the 11th country with a black-type race in 2023 (Britain, France, Germany and Ireland are full EPC members; Italy, Scandinavia (representing Denmark, Norway and Sweden) and Turkey are associate members; while Spain and Poland are emerging nations with one listed race each).”
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