American Graded Stakes Committee: Saratoga Derby Upgraded To Grade 1 Status Sponsored by: Domestic Spending picked up his first stakes victory in the 2019 Saratoga Derby 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 2021, the results of its annual grading session conducted Dec. 15 and 16. The committee evaluated races conducted after the 2019 Breeders' Cup through March 15 as normal and races after March 15 were evaluated as normal, as well, but took care to consider any pandemic-related circumstances that may have affected, positively or negatively, the 2020 renewal. The Committee reviewed 849 U.S. stakes races with a purse of at least $75,000, and assigned Graded status to 445 of them, three fewer than were graded in 2020, and Listed status to 193 races. Three Graded races were upgraded; one new Grade 1 and four new Grade 3 races were named; 12 new Listed races were upgraded from non-Listed Black Type status. Fifteen races which carried Graded or Listed status in 2020 are no longer eligible for grading.