soliloquy

Will there be 3yo only races? How do you factor in black type wins? Some 2 or 3yos will win a black type race as their 1st or 2nd win. When they get older will they have to start back in the lower classes? For that matter, how do you treat a horse than wins out of its grade? Sometimes horses 'skip' through the grades a bit to get their rating up to get into big races, especially mares where black type is important. Is that possible, or is it strictly 5+ win horses that are likely to get into black type races for older horses? The system as described seems reasonable, but it's not quite as simple as it may seem imo.

It's usually given special consideration in the pattern committee report, such as: "3.2.6 Miscellaneous Other criteria may be considered if deemed to be relevant, e.g. historical importance, regional factors, impact of adverse weather, opportunities for various aptitude categories, etc." I would imagine 'global pandemic' falls well within those bounds.