Graded Stakes for the harness racing industry had been a topic of discussion for more than 20 years when, at the request of the major sales companies and breeders, with the U.S. Trotting Association and Standardbred Canada supporting the project, a Graded Stakes Committee was created in 2023 to address it.
There are two categories of Grades: Open Graded Stakes and Restricted Graded Stakes.
The purpose of the committee is to provide those breeders, owners, trainers, and Standardbred horsemen a reliable guide to the relative quality of Standardbreds by identifying the U.S. and Canadian races whose recent renewals consistently attract the highest quality of competition. The differentiation in grades is also a valuable tool for horseplayers, as the grades will appear in past performance lines.
Also, since 2025, Graded Stakes have been included in yearling sales catalog pedigree pages. The grades displayed began with the 2021 racing season.
The Graded Stakes Committee consists of 11 members, two from Standardbred Canada, one from the Hambletonian Society, three racetrack representatives, (with a minimum of two American Harness Racing Secretaries members), two breeders, two from sales companies, and one Grand Circuit Steward.
If a committee member resigns prior to his/her term's expiration, the remainder of that term will be filled by the existing committee.
Three-year terms for committee members are staggered with a limit of three terms. Terms expire December 31 of the committee member's third year.
The chair of the committee is selected by the full committee and serves a two-year term.
To be considered for committee membership, an individual must express in writing to the chairman their interest in serving on the committee. The committee will review those requests.
The original committee members were Mark Loewe, David Reid, Mike Klau, Mark McKelvie, Steve Jones, Rich Mattei, Seth Rosenfeld, Steve Stewart, Chris Antonacci, Darryl Kaplan, and Pete Szymanski.
While there are exceptions at the discretion of the committee, following are the purse level guidance for grading consideration:
Regardless of purse levels, the strength of field and field size can alter a race's grade.
Invitational races with a minimum purse of $100,000 may be considered for grading.
State or Province restricted races, which exclude horses based upon stallion residency or mare foaling location that meet purse requirements are also eligible for a second tier of grading.
Sire Stakes finals and non-sire stake races with purse values listed below, regardless of sex, will be considered by the committee.
For the complete list of Grade 1, 2 and 3 Stakes for 2026, click here.
For the complete list of Restricted 1, 2 and 3 Stakes for 2026, click here.
For the chronological schedule of 2026 Graded Stakes, scheduled as of February 26, 2026, click here.
(Note: schedules are subject to change)