New Scoring System Will Reduce Non-Listed Stakes

Re-printed from the BloodHorse Daily - Eric Mitchell

January 14th, 2024

The North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee announced Jan. 10 it will adjust how non-listed black-type stakes in the United States are rated beginning in 2025 with the goal of reducing the number of stakes that fall into this category of races that is unique to the United States and Canada. 

"Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the minimum Race Quality Scores (RQS) for non-listed black-type races in SITA catalogs (those compliant with guidelines required by the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers) will be increased due to the gradual growth in the ratio of non-listed black-type races to total races run," the committee said in a statement.

North American graded stakes and listed stakes are evaluated annually to ensure the quality of the fields attracted continue to match the status awarded to each race. Non-listed stakes are not evaluated, so the NAICSC in 2014 implemented an automated rating system to monitor the quality of these races. 

Each non-listed stakes receives a quality score that is derived from the speed figures for the first four finishers. The four speed figures are used to compile the RQS and are provided by Bloodstock Research Information Services, Daily Racing Form's Beyer Speed Figures, Equibase Speed Figures, and Thoro-Graph. Each race has two quality scores—the RQS for its most recent running and a three-year average. In order to keep or earn black-type status, both of these scores need to exceed a minimum RQS set by the NAICSC. Six minimum RQS scores exist for specific conditions by age and sex. 

If both of these scores fall below the minimum RQS score, then a race will lose its black-type status. A race will need to be run two consecutive years subsequent to losing its black-type status before it can be reconsidered to earn back black-type.