From Japan to America, Ireland to New Zealand, a stakes win is the revered status for the commercial thoroughbred industry. However, the number of stakes races on offer differs significantly depending on the country.
This analysis looks at the number of Group 1 and overall black-type races that are staged in various jurisdictions as listed in the Blue Book, then assessed as a percentage of all races run in each country. The rating, and thus indication of quality, of these stakes races follows by assessing number of Top 100 races per Group 1.
The table below lists stakes statistics for countries with a breeding industry that make up the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ top-tier Part I category (this does not include non-graded Stakes races in the US). These numbers are from the 2018 calendar year, or the 2017-18 racing season in the southern hemisphere.
Overall, the percentages from throughout Part I show that 0.4% of all races run are Group or Grade 1 races, and 2.9% of races carry black type. Group 1 races make up 13.8% of all stakes races run. Some countries’ statistics sit below these averages, while others are significantly higher.
| Ireland | 1234 | 126 | 13 | 10.21% | 1.05% |
| Germany | 1156 | 86 | 7 | 7.44% | 0.61% |
| New Zealand | 2423 | 150 | 21 | 6.19% | 0.87% |
| Brazil | 3100 | 164 | 26 | 5.29% | 0.84% |
| South Africa | 3674 | 188 | 29 | 5.12% | 0.79% |
| France | 4922 | 241 | 28 | 4.90% | 0.57% |
| Argentina | 5322 | 234 | 40 | 4.40% | 0.75% |
| United Kingdom | 6951 | 295 | 36 | 4.24% | 0.52% |
| Italy | 2024 | 76 | 1 | 3.75% | 0.05% |
| Peru | 1896 | 60 | 8 | 3.16% | 0.42% |
| Australia | 19409 | 597 | 74 | 3.08% | 0.38% |
| Canada | 3126 | 62 | 7 | 1.98% | 0.22% |
| Chile | 5183 | 98 | 17 | 1.89% | 0.33% |
| United States of America | 36116 | 625 | 106 | 1.73% | 0.29% |
| Japan | 16732 | 233 | 25 | 1.39% | 0.15% |
Table: Quantity of stakes races by country (breeding nations only), ordered by stakes race to race percentage
Quantity of stakes races
In terms of pure numbers, the United States and Australia clearly top these tables as a quantity metric. The 2018 calendar in the US featured 106 Grade 1 events and a total of 625 stakes races, while Australia’s numbers were 74 Group 1 and 597 stakes races respectively.
However, the same two countries stage easily the highest number of overall races per year. As a result, their percentage of these high-level races work out to be lower than many other countries.
In Australia, Group 1 races make up 0.38% of the overall annual total, and the percentage of stakes races is 3.08%. The Group 1 percentage is below the overall average, and the stakes percentage is only very slightly above average.
In Australia, Group 1 races make up 0.38% of the overall annual total
The lowest stakes races to races percentage is Japan, with 233 stakes races (1.39%) from a total of 16,732 races run. There were 25 Group 1 races, which is another exceptionally low percentage of 0.15%. Japan has two racing circuits - Japan Racing Association (JRA) and the National Association of Racing (NAR). The JRA is responsible for ten major racecourses in metropolitan areas, while the NAR is responsible for local horse racing events throughout Japan.
Meanwhile, the breeding jurisdiction with the highest percentage of stakes races is Ireland with 127 of 1234 races (10.3%) at stakes level. Thirteen were Group 1, at a percentage of 1.05%.
New Zealand also has a high number of stakes races when compared to other Part I countries, with 6.19% of all races being at stakes level - double the Australian ratio.
Quality vs quantity
Assessing stakes racing against the IFHA's rating of top races can give an indication of elite race quality for each country.
The table below reflects the World's Top 100 Group/Grade races for 2018, for 3-year-olds and upwards. The ranked list is compiled using the annual race ratings, which are calculated based on the first four finishers in each race.
| Hong Kong | 11 | 12 | 91.7% |
| Great Britain | 19 | 36 | 52.8% |
| UAE | 3 | 7 | 42.9% |
| Germany | 3 | 7 | 42.9% |
| Australia | 31 | 74 | 41.9% |
| Japan | 10 | 25 | 40.0% |
| France | 6 | 28 | 21.4% |
| Ireland | 2 | 13 | 15.4% |
| USA | 14 | 106 | 13.2% |
| South Africa | 3 | 29 | 10.3% |
| New Zealand | 1 | 21 | 4.8% |
Table: World's Top 100 races by country, ordered by percentage of G1 races
By IFHA ranking standards, Australia's Group 1 racing holds up to a high standard, with 31 of the 74 races rated amongst the Top 100 races of 2018.
At a rating of 123.75, the Australian Turf Club's Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes finishes second only to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in world's top races. The Ladbrokes Cox Plate is in seventh position on 122.5 rating points.
Although not a breeding nation, it is interesting to note the quality of elite Hong Kong racing is assessed at a very high level, with all but one top flight race considered worthy of a Top 100 rating. With New Zealand-bred Beauty Generation (Road To Rock) winning four of the 2019 runnings and Australian-bred duo Mr Stunning (Exceed And Excel) and Beat The Clock (Hinchinbrook) also taking out Top 100 races, it is a positive reflection of bloodstock quality exported from both countries.
New Zealand-bred Beauty Generation
Sire stakes successes
The low number of stakes and Group 1 races in Japan - but comparatively high number of Top 100 races - adds significant merit to the outstanding careers of Sunday Silence (USA) (Halo {USA}) and his champion son Deep Impact (Jpn), who presented percentages of 11.9% and 10.5% stakes winners to runners in their stud careers respectively.
Nine of Sunday Silence’s progeny won one or more of Japan’s relatively few Group 1 races, along with elite overseas victories by Hat Trick (Jpn) in the Hong Kong Mile, Stay Gold (Jpn) in the Hong Kong Vase, Sunday Joy in the Australian Oaks and Heart’s Cry (Jpn) in the Dubai Sheema Classic.
Deep Impact has been even more prolific as a Group 1 sire, with 39 individual Group 1 winners in Japan. There have also been major victories abroad by the likes of Gentildonna (Jpn) in the Dubai Sheema Classic, Real Impact (Jpn) in the George Ryder S., A Shin Hikari (Jpn) in the Hong Kong Cup and the Prix d’Ispahan, Tosen Stardom (Jpn) in the Mackinnon S. and Toorak H., and Saxon Warrior (Jpn) in the English 2000 Guineas.
The late Deep Impact (Jpn) was a prolific Group 1 sire
Stakes successes for legendary sire Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) have come from the more plentiful opportunities on offer in his homeland. From the incredible 650 stakes wins scored by his progeny, 212 have come in Ireland.
But Galileo is an international breed-shaper for a reason, and his progeny have excelled all over the globe, recording 211 stakes wins in the United Kingdom, 86 in France, 56 in Australia, 35 in the United States and stakes successes in nine other countries.
From a remarkable total of 80 individual Group 1 winners, Galileo’s progeny have starred at the elite level all over the world – 52 in the United Kingdom, 47 in Ireland, 24 in France, 12 in the United States, seven in Australia, and one or two each in six other countries.
High Chaparral's (Ire) progeny have combined for 238 stakes victories
The statistics are interesting for High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}), whose progeny have combined worldwide for 238 stakes victories. Only 13 of those have been in Ireland, where he has sired 97 winners overall from 230 runners, and a 3.9% stakes winners to runners ratio.
In contrast, he has been a superstar in Australasia, where 67 of his 798 runners have won at stakes level (8.4% stakes). He has sired 23 individual Group 1 winners – 14 in Australia, five in the United Kingdom, one in Dubai, three in Ireland, two in Canada and New Zealand, and one each in France, the United States and Germany.
Montjeu (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}), the sire of 126 stakes winners from 1234 runners (10.2%), has also achieved consistent success around the world, with no major advantage presented by the number of stakes races in his native country. From a total of 272 stakes wins by his progeny, 34 have been in Ireland (9.7%).
Montjeu has sired 31 individual Group 1 winners – including 14 in the United Kingdom, 13 in France, 11 in Ireland, eight in Australia and four in New Zealand.
Pioneer shuttle stallion Danehill (USA)
Pioneer shuttle stallion Danehill (USA) (Danzig {USA}) performed to a consistently elite level all around the world. He sired 1623 winners from 2083 runners, including 347 stakes winners who combined for a total of 809 stakes wins.
Most of those came in Australia, where his progeny have won a total of 2064 races including 333 at stakes level (16.13%). But there were also 109 stakes wins in the United Kingdom from a total of 843 wins (12.93%), 28 in Hong Kong (5.9%), 21 in Japan (5.16%), 87 in France (27.88%), 87 in Ireland (30%), 45 in the United States (29.8%) and in 10 other countries.
His 84 individual Group 1 winners included 40 in Australia, 23 in the United Kingdom, 21 in France, 16 in Ireland and 11 in the United States.
