It has been more than a decade since the Australian Pattern has acted as it should, and finally the world has lost patience on Wednesday.
Australia, one of the biggest racing nations in the world, effectively no longer has control of the classification of its Group and Listed races.
The Asian Racing Federation will do it after the announcement.
It is embarrassing, appalling and highlights the dysfunction in Australian racing.
Immediately, The Metropolitan and Sydney Cup’s status as Group 1 races will be under threat, but the list is a lot longer than that.
While the bone has been pointed at Racing NSW in recent times, with good reason, administrators, both past and present, from around the country should hang their heads in shame.
The damage was done a long time ago with the foundations ripped away by short-sighted decisions made in self-interest.
The Pattern is the key to the business of the bred and gives the world an idea of what is the best quality racing.
But our pattern rewards horses that stretch out in trip, and needs changing. It should be evolving instead it is imploding.
But this story was lost in 2017 for Australia as political point-scoring and egos got in the way of making the right decisions for the sport.
A moratorium on downgrading black-type races was imposed more than a decade ago, which runs counter to a system that should be dynamic and reflect the strength of Australian racing.
The smaller states were afraid of losing Group and Listed races because they didn’t meet the required standard, but a two-year halt in the process stretched out to 10.
The push for more Group 1 races saw the status of a premiere diminish, and then there was the constant shifting of races, which broke with the idea of the pattern that horses progress through the system.
Then Racing Victoria blocked the upgrade of The Everest, the most dynamic race in the world this century. Australia’s best sprinters, therefore, our best horses clashed in the rich slots race.
It was clearly among our best races, above races like a Doncaster, Caulfield Cup or Melbourne Cup in terms of class.
Racing NSW wanted status to be fast-tracked, Racing Victoria wanted process to protect its spring carnival and vetoed moves to make The Everest an overnight Group 1.
If deepened the rift in Australia from cracks to a canyon.
Instead of celebrating a success, The Everest was a tall poppy to be envied.
What followed was ridiculous and tore away the tradition of Australian racing.
There was a flagrant disregard for what the pattern should be with the movement of races as NSW and Victoria tried to outdo each other.
Yes, the Pattern is broken but it can be fixed, and this could be the turning point.
Reducing Group 1 races and focusing on what Australia is best at, rather than looking to an overseas model.
Australian racing is different, built on the big handicaps – Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Doncaster, and Stradbroke. Not the Classics.
Our biggest races for the bred are the Golden Slipper, Coolmore Stud Stakes and now The Everest.
Australian racing is like the Steve Austin, the $6 million man from the 1970s.
We can rebuild it [given some goodwill between states and breeders].
We have the technology [to assess races].
We can make it better than it was [before, which isn’t hard].
Better, stronger, faster.
