The Australian racing calendar for the 2026-27 season will feature 77 Group 1 races, following the decision to elevate The Golden Eagle. It was also confirmed that the Metropolitan, Victoria Derby, and Railway Stakes would retain their Group 1 status, despite being considered for downgrades.

The Australian Racing Federation (ARF) announced that 30 races have either been upgraded or newly awarded stakes status. Of these, 22 are located in New South Wales. These include the Concorde Stakes, Kingston Town Stakes, Craven Plate, and City Tatts Lightning Stakes, all moving from Group 3 to Group 2. The Heritage Stakes has also been promoted from Listed to Group 3.

Several NSW races will now hold stakes status for the first time. The Invitation, Russell Balding Stakes, and 7 Stakes have been elevated to Group 2, while Five Diamonds and The Gong are now Group 3. The Silver Eagle, Golden Gift, Big Dance, The Warra, The Hunter, and The Beauford have been confirmed as Listed races.

In Victoria, the Poseidon Stakes, Cap D’Antibes Stakes, Spring Preview, and Chautauqua Stakes have all moved up from Listed to Group 3 status.

Some races initially considered for elevation will remain unchanged. The Shorts will continue as a Group 2 event, with the San Domenico Stakes and Toy Show Quality staying at Group 3 level.

The Metropolitan, Victoria Derby, and Railway Stakes were placed on notice by the ARF, facing potential downgrades. However, after review, they have maintained their elite Group 1 recognition.

The Golden Eagle, specifically for four-year-olds, was inaugurated in 2019 and has rapidly ascended the ranks to become one of the season’s most highly rated contests, justifying its new Group 1 standing.

The race’s prestige was notably enhanced last year when the mare Autumn Glow triumphed over Sepals and Evaporate. Previous international winners include Obamburumai in 2023 and Lake Forest in 2024.

The honour roll of Golden Eagle winners also features Kolding (2019), Colette (2020), I’m Thunderstruck (2021), and I Wish I Win (2022).

These adjustments to black-type race classifications follow the Asian Pattern Committee’s assumption of control over the Australian Pattern system from Racing Australia in late last year.

The APC convened last week to finalise the status of Australian black-type races for the commencement of the new racing season on August 1.

“A key purpose of this special meeting was to enable the ARF to assist the Australian industry to be fully informed of any changes ahead of the next running of these races, while other races in Racing Australia’s application are to be further considered by the APC at its next meeting in September,” the ARF statement read.

“The ARF has been clear on the requirement that Racing Australia establish a functioning system operating in accordance with the APC Ground Rules, and will provide a further update when it is considered appropriate for the above arrangements to end (or any other necessary actions to be taken by the ARF if such a system is not established).”

Racing Australia was informed of and consented to the Pattern changes last week.

The ARF intervened to manage the black-type races subsequent to the Australian Pattern Committee becoming ineffective for several years due to disputes among state racing authorities.

A dedicated seven-member Black Type Advisory Group, comprised of industry leaders including Sebastian Hutch (Inglis), Barry Bowditch (Magic Millions), Antony Thompson (Widden Stud), Andy Makiv (Godolphin Australia), Jon Freyer (Arrowfield Stud), Duncan Grimley, and Adrian Hancock, subsequently presented recommendations to the APC for a comprehensive review of the nation’s black-type races.

“(The handicappers) held a special conference to determine the end-of-season 2025/26 ratings for horses rated above 112 in the ARF jurisdictions (including Australia), as well as the ratings for the first four placed horses in all Group 1 races run in the ARF Pattern,” the APC statement said.

“These ratings were considered by the APC in the relevant decision-making process.”

The Golden Eagle’s elevation to Group 1 status highlights the evolving nature of Australian racing; explore the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites.