BHA upgrades Aintree races to highest level.

Byline: Andrew Dietz

AINTREE yesterday expressed its delight at the upgrading of the Totesport Bowl and the John Smith's Liverpool Hurdle, two of the feature races during the Grand National meeting, to Grade 1 level.

The move could mean that April's three-day meeting opens with three successive Grade 1 events, with the Matalan Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle possibly sandwiched in between, although Aintree managing director Julian Thick said the schedule had still to be finalised.

He said yesterday: "We're absolutely delighted, but it's well deserved given the quality of runners these races have attracted in recent years.

"It is also a fitting reward for trainers who run their horses in these races and, hopefully, will continue to do so."

The list of winners of the Totesport Bowl has become a 'who's who' of leading staying chasers with Desert Orchid (1988), See More Business (2000) and Exotic Dancer (2007) gracing the winner's enclosure, while the recent victories of Mighty Man and Big Buck's in the Liverpool Hurdle have enhanced its reputation.

In other changes, the meeting's Totepool Handicap Hurdle has been upgraded from Listed level to Grade 3.

Elsewhere on the fixture list the gap in the 2m4f chase programme between the Intercasino.co.uk Old Roan Steeplechase in October and the Totesport.

com Peterborough Chase in December will be filled by the conversion of Ascot's Amlin 1965 Steeple Chase to a conditions event, open to all, in November.

In the introduction to the Jump Pattern and Listed Race Book 2009-10, the BHA refuted suggestions that it has become too easy for horses to earn black type. The implication from critics of the system is that if more horses are highly rated now than in the past, then it is self-evident the qualification level must be too low.

Adrian Grazebrook , chairman of the BHA jump racing subcommittee, said that while the parameters for novice races are under review, there was huge strength in depth over both fences and hurdles.

He said: "It is not remotely reasonable for the performances of any particular horse, or any particular Pattern race for that matter, to be belittled because there are a number of other good horses around at the time."

CAPTION(S):

Desert Orchid: on Totesport Bowl roll of honour