25 October 2024
Tom Reilly
Chief Executive Officer
I am writing to you about an issue that I know is causing significant consternation in the breeding industry, namely the recent announcements around the Pattern.
Earlier this month Racing Australia said it had agreed new Black Type Guidelines, at a similar time it was stated the Everest and the All Star Mile would now have Group One status.
Neither Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) or Aushorse, nor any of the State breeding bodies were briefed on these Guidelines before they were agreed to at Racing Australia.
Since the announcement of the Guidelines, TBA has been engaged in a lot of dialogue and discussion with racing administrators here in Australia, as well as representatives that sit on international committees such as the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC), the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA) and the Asian Pattern Committee (APC).
Although we have yet to see the full Guidelines, from briefings we have received from racing authorities and details that have emerged in the media, we have raised a number of concerns, including:
# The lack of a broader group – including breeders and the sales companies – in decision making.
# Races to be awarded or retain Group and Listed status purely based on ratings.
# The average rating for a race to be calculated using the winner’s rating plus three of the next four finishers (with the presumed intention of dropping the lowest rated horse from calculations).
# A moratorium on downgrades for two years.
It is the view of TBA that Australia needs a Pattern system that is both robust and transparent and involves a broader group of stakeholders involved in decision-making than just racing administrators. It is also vital that our Black Type is recognised around the world.
These recent Guidelines were developed in an effort to end the impasse over the Pattern, which had seen no races upgraded or downgraded for seven years. They were also shaped by concerns over Australian competition law.
TBA has engaged a specialist competition lawyer to assist us in pulling together an alternate framework for decision-making in relation to the Pattern. We will continue to work with racing authorities and other interested parties and are hopeful we can resolve this issue as a matter of urgency.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time.
Kind Regards
Tom Reilly
02 9663 858
tom@tbaus.com