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Originally Posted by brianwspencer
Oh my! They downgraded the illustrious Washington Park Handicap from a Grade II to a Grade III -- and dropped the grade altogether from the Arlington Classic.
East Coast bias.
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Once upon a time, the Arlington Classic was indeed a classic race, a 10f dirt contest that was won by such horses as Blue Larkspur, Gallant Fox, Omaha, Challedon, Shut Out, and Twilight Tear. Even after it was shortened to a one-turn mile, it still attratcted champions -winners included Native Dancer, Nashua, T.V. Lark, Tom Rolfe, Buckpasser, Dr. Fager and Ack Ack. Then they started to play around with it, changed the distance and surface, dropped it a couple of years here and there....,
If there had been grading in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, the Arlington Classic would have been a deserving G1. The name meant something then; I hate to see track management squander the history inherent in grand old race names by giving them to less meaningful contests.