Racing Australia chairman Rob Rorrison said his organisation will work with the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) after it made the unprecedented decision to strip the nation of its power to grade black-type races.
The ARF announced on Wednesday that its Asian Pattern Committee (APC) would assume control of Australia’s racing pattern “given the exceptional circumstances that exist”. The APC made the call at a meeting last Friday in Hong Kong, after a long-running dispute over Australia’s inability to agree on and adopt a compliant grading system.
Racing Australia has lost control of its grading system.Credit: Getty Images
It means the APC will now decide the status, including upgrades and downgrades, of group 1, 2 and 3 and listed races across Australia. The system is crucial to the breeding and sales industry worldwide.
“The APC will commence its decision-making for black type races in Australia so that any status changes are determined prior to the start of the 2026/27 Australian racing season,” an ARF statement read.
“This course of action has been adopted in circumstances where there has not been a properly functioning black type quality control system in Australia since as far back as 2017/18. While the ARF has been extremely patient and provided significant assistance to try to resolve this matter, it determined that action now had to be taken.
“The action to be undertaken by the APC, under the ARF’s authority, is intended only as a temporary measure. The ARF’s strong preference is that, as a Part I country, Australia establishes a functioning black type quality control system operating in accordance with the APC Ground Rules in the near future, and for the above arrangements to end.
“However, absent such resolution, the ARF will consider other actions that it may need to take.”
The decision falls short of the threat from the APC to demote Australia to a Part II country of the International Cataloguing Standards Blue Book, alongside the likes of Bahrain, India and Panama.
Rorrison said in a statement that Racing Australia “fully understands the position taken” by the ARF and “commits to collaborate with the APC during this time”.
