Five Grade 1 races scheduled to be run next year have been downgraded to Grade 2 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, with one Grade 2 being elevated to a Grade 1, according to a listing of graded races that the committee released Saturday. The downgraded Grade 1 races include the Carter Handicap and Man o’ War Stakes, both scheduled to be run at Aqueduct next year; plus the Beverly D. Stakes at Colonial Downs, the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park, and the Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita Park. The Franklin-Simpson Stakes, a turf stakes for 3-year-olds at Kentucky Downs, was the lone upgrade to Grade 1. The movement among Grade 1 races was part of a process that led to a net loss of 11 graded stakes for 2024, according to the listing. Ten races were upgraded by the committee, and four stakes were moved from listed to Grade 3. Thirty races were downgraded, including the five Grade 1 stakes, 10 Grade 2 stakes, and 15 Grade 3 stakes.  In total, 429 races received a Grade 1, Grade 2, or Grade 3 listing, down from 440 last year. The committee, which met Thursday and Friday to conduct its annual review, has been lately paring graded stakes from the U.S. schedule due to a significant and persistent decline in the number of races held over the past 10 years in the face of dramatic drops in the foal crop. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. The rate in decline of graded stakes has been nowhere near the rate in decline of races held, however. The ratio of graded stakes to races run has increased more than 50 percent over the past 20 years, hitting an all-time high in 2021. Nine races were upgraded to Grade 2 status from Grade 3: the Intercontinental Stakes at Belmont Park; the Charles Town Oaks at Charles Town; the Locust Grove Stakes at Churchill Downs; the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream Park; the Valley View Stakes at Keeneland; the Music City Stakes at Kentucky Downs; the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park; and the Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes and the Troy Stakes at Saratoga. Ten races were downgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 3: the Forty Niner Stakes at Aqueduct; the Hill Prince Stakes, the Vosburgh Stakes, and the Sheepshead Bay Stakes, which are all scheduled for Aqueduct next year; the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes, which is run as part of the Breeders’ Cup card, scheduled for Del Mar next year; the Penn Mile Stakes at Penn National; the Californian Stakes, the Goldikova Stakes, and Royal Heroine Stakes, all at Santa Anita Park; and the Prioress Stakes at Saratoga. The four races upgraded to Grade 3 from listed are the Unbridled Sidney Stakes at Churchill Downs, the Giant’s Causeway and Perryville at Keeneland; and the Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park. The 15 races that were downgraded from Grade 3 to listed are the Bay Shore and Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct; the La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar; the Golden Gate Handicap at Golden Gate Fields (which is not scheduled to be run next year); the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint, the Smile Sprint, the Sugar Swirl, and the Swale at Gulfstream Park; the Smarty Jones at Parx Racing; the Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup at Pimlico; the Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows; the Remington Park Oaks at Remington Park; the Desert Stormer and Kona Gold at Santa Anita Park; and the Schuylerville at Saratoga. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.