Carey to be ungraded for 2009

The North American Graded Stakes Committee has decided that the Oct. 3 running of the Robert F. Carey Memorial Handicap at Hawthorne will not be recorded as a Grade 3 stakes.

As per committee rules, the Carey was automatically downgraded from Grade 3 to ungraded when it was moved from turf to dirt. The Committee then reviews off-the-turf races on a case-by-case basis, and in this instance, elected to uphold the automatic downgrading. The decision affects only the race's 2009 edition.