Three Pennsylvania Races Lose Graded Status

[Kasept]

This is unbelievable. The Graded Stakes Committee put themselves in charge of milkshake testing? How is this fair to the owners?

Grades rescinded for Pennsylvania stakes
By Matt Hegarty

http://www.drf.com/news/article/109366.html

The American Graded Stakes Committee has rescinded the grades for three stakes races held in Pennsylvania in 2009 - the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby, the Grade 2 Cotillion Stakes, and the Grade 3 Presque Isle Downs Masters - because horses that participated in the stakes were not tested for alkalizing agents, racing officials said late on Friday.

The three races are the only graded stakes races held in Pennsylvania. In making the decision to rescind the grades, the committee said in a memo sent out on Friday that "the testing performed on samples taken from horses participating in these races did not meet the requirements of the committee's drug-testing protocol."

The decision to rescind the grades means that the winners and placed horses will not receive black type for their performances in the races. The Pennsylvania Derby was won by Gone Astray, owned by the Phipps Stable; the Cotillion was won by Donver Stable's Careless Jewel; and the Presque Isle Downs Masters was won by Augustin Stable's Informed Decision, who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 6.

Last year, the American Graded Stakes Committee, which assigns grades to stakes as a result of its own annual review, passed rules requiring racetracks or racing commissions to conduct tests for alkalizing agents - which are commonly called "milkshakes" - in order to retain their grades, among other requirements regarding shoeing and steroid rules.