Dinner Party Stakes downgraded for '23 * The Racing Biz

Dinner Party Stakes downgraded for ’23

The Biz
December 16, 2022

Press release with additional reporting

The Dinner Party Stakes, one of the oldest stakes races in the nation, will see its status downgraded. Long contested as a Grade 2 event, the historic Pimlico test will be a Grade 3 race in 2023.

It was one of two dozen graded races to be downgraded, as the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association today presented its listing of U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes Races for calendar year 2023, the results of its annual grading session conducted December 13 and 14. Several other races received upgrade.

The Committee reviewed 901 U.S. stakes races with a purse of at least $75,000, and assigned Graded status to 440 of them, nine fewer than were graded in 2022, and Listed status to 206 races. Four Graded races were upgraded; one new Grade I and three new Grade II races were named; four new Grade III races were identified. Twelve new Listed races and one new Listed-Restricted race was upgraded from non-Listed Black Type status.

The Dinner Party was the most prominent of several Mid-Atlantic races to get knocked for 2023. Three of the region’s Grade 3 races – the Kent at Delaware Park, Dr. James Penny Memorial at Parx Racing, and Allaire DuPont Distaff at Pimlico – lost their grades for the coming year and will be contested as listed races in 2023.

Two other Maryland races were downgraded from listed to non-listed black type status in 2023. Those were the Stormy Blues, a turf sprint at Laurel, and The Very One, a turf sprint run at Pimlico.

None of Monmouth’s graded races saw a change in status, but two of its stakes will move up to listed status next year. Those are the Mr. Prospector Stakes and the Sapling, the latter for two-year-olds.

National trends

One race was upgraded from Grade II to Grade I status for 2023: the Stephen Foster S. at Churchill Downs.

Five races were downgraded from Grade I to Grade II status for 2023: the Cigar Mile H. at Aqueduct; Woodward S. at Belmont Park; Clark S. at Churchill Downs; Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Race Course; and Rodeo Drive S. at Santa Anita Park.

Three races were upgraded to Grade II status for 2023: the Beaumont S. and Franklin S. at Keeneland; and Ladies Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs.

Seven races were downgraded from Grade II to Grade III status for 2023: the Sorrento S. at Del Mar; Dinner Party S. at Pimlico; Monrovia S., San Carlos S., San Marcos S. and Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita Park; and Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs.

Four races were upgraded to Grade III status for 2023: the Manila S. at Belmont Park; Blame S. and Shawnee S. at Churchill Downs; and Music City S. at Kentucky Downs.

Twelve races were downgraded from Grade III to Listed status for 2023: the Nashua S. and Turnback the Alarm H. at Aqueduct; Athenia S. at Belmont Park; Kent S. at Delaware Park; Appleton S. and Tropical Turf S. at Gulfstream Park; Dr. James Penny Memorial S. at Parx Racing; Allaire DuPont Distaff S. at Pimlico; Affirmed S., Santa Barbara S. and Sweet Life S. at Santa Anita Park; and Bernard Baruch H. at Saratoga.

Twelve races were upgraded to Listed status for 2023: the Plenty of Grace S. at Aqueduct; Audubon S., Keertana Overnight S. and Rags to Riches S. at Churchill Downs; Daisycutter H. at Del Mar; Duncan F. Kenner S. and Mardi Gras S. at Fair Grounds; Mr. Prospector S. and Sapling S. at Monmouth Park; Lady of Shamrock S. at Santa Anita Park; and Bourbonette Oaks and John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway Park.

One race was upgraded to Listed-Restricted status for 2023: the Wickerr S. at Del Mar.

Eleven races were downgraded from Listed to non-Listed Black Type status for 2023: the Garland of Roses S. and Jerome S. at Aqueduct; California Derby at Golden Gate Fields; Caesars S. at Horseshoe Indianapolis; Stormy Blues S. at Laurel Park; The Very One S. at Pimlico; Karl Boyes S. at Presque Isle Downs; Baffle S. and Desert Code S. at Santa Anita Park; and Columbia S. and Lightning City S. at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Easy Goer S. at Belmont Park; Jefferson Cup S. at Churchill Downs; My Charmer S. and South Beach S. at Gulfstream Park; Beverly J. Lewis S. at Los Alamitos Race Course; Super Derby at Louisiana Downs; Spring Fever S. at Oaklawn Park; and Fabulous Strike S. and Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup S. at Penn National were not eligible for grading in 2023.

MID-ATLANTIC STAKES

Track	Status	Division	Stake
CNL	3	3YO R T	NEW KENT COUNTY VIRGINIA DERBY
	L	3YO F R T	WOODFORD RESERVE VIRGINIA OAKS
CT	2	3UP R D	CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC S.
	3	3YO F SPR	CHARLES TOWN OAKS
DEL	2	3UP F/M RD	DELAWARE H.
	3	3UP F/M RT	ROBERT G. DICK MEMORIAL S.
	3	3YO F R D	DELAWARE OAKS
	L	3UP F/M RD	OBEAH S.
	L	3UP R T	CAPE HENLOPEN S.
	L	3YO R T	KENT S.
LRL	3	3UP F/M SPR	BARBARA FRITCHIE S.
	3	3UP SPR	GENERAL GEORGE S.
	L	3UP F/M SPR	WILLA ON THE MOVE S.
	L	3UP R D	RICHARD W. SMALL S.
	L	3UP R T	HENRY S. CLARK S.
	L	3UP R T	JAPAN TURF CUP S.
	L	3UP R T	PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY S.
	L	3UP SPR	FRANK J. DE FRANCIS MEMORIAL DASH S.
	L	3YO F SPR	SAFELY KEPT S.
	L	3YO SPR	CITY OF LAUREL S.
	L	3YO SPR	CONCERN S.
MTH	1	3UP R T	UNITED NATIONS S.
	1	3YO R D	TVG.COM HASKELL S.
	3	3UP F/M RD	MOLLY PITCHER S.
	3	3UP F/M RT	EATONTOWN S.
	3	3UP F/M RT	WINSTAR MATCHMAKER S.
	3	3UP R D	MONMOUTH CUP S.
	3	3UP R D	PHILIP H. ISELIN S.
	3	3UP R D	SALVATOR MILE S.
	3	3UP R T	MONMOUTH S.
	3	3YO F R D	MONMOUTH OAKS
	L	2YO D	SAPLING S.
	L	3UP F/M RD	LADY’S SECRET S.
	L	3UP F/M RT	MISS LIBERTY S.
	L	3UP F/M RT	VIOLET S.
	L	3UP R T	CLIFF HANGER S.
	L	3UP R T	OCEANPORT S.
	L	3UP R T	RED BANK S.
	L	3UP SPR	MR. PROSPECTOR S.
	L	3YO R D	TVG.COM PEGASUS S.
PEN	2	3YO R T	PENN MILE S.
	L	3YO F R T	PENN OAKS
PIM	1	3YO R D	PREAKNESS S.
	2	3YO F R D	GEORGE E. MITCHELL BLACK-EYED SUSAN S.
	3	3UP F/M RT	GALLORETTE S.
	3	3UP R D	PIMLICO SPECIAL S.
	3	3UP R T	BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL TURF CUP S.
	3	3UP R T	DINNER PARTY S.
	3	3UP SPR	MARYLAND SPRINT S.
	3	3YO F SPR	MISS PREAKNESS S.
	3	3YO SPR	CHICK LANG S.
	L	3UP F/M RD	ALLAIRE DUPONT DISTAFF S.
	L	3UP F/M RT	ALL ALONG S.
	L	3UP F/M SPR	SKIPAT S.
	L	3UP T SPR	JIM MCKAY TURF SPRINT S.
	L	3YO R T	JAMES W. MURPHY S.
PRX	1	3YO F R D	COTILLION S.
	1	3YO R D	PENNSYLVANIA DERBY
	2	3YO SPR	GALLANT BOB S.
	3	3UP R D	GREENWOOD CUP S.
	3	3UP T SPR	TURF MONSTER S.
	3	3YO R D	SMARTY JONES S.
	L	3UP F/M RT	DR. JAMES PENNY MEMORIAL S.
	L	3UP R D	PARX DIRT MILE S.
	L	3UP T SPR	PARX DASH S.