Columbus, OH — With yearling sales in full swing this month, the USTA wants to remind buyers that there are new criteria for uppercase blacktype in pedigrees starting with foals of 2019 (2-year-olds in 2021).

Starting with the horses born in 2019, only horses that have at least one of these criteria will get uppercase blacktype:

• For pacers, a lifetime record of 1:52 or faster (new criteria)
• For trotters, a lifetime record of 1:55 or faster (new criteria)
• Horses earning $100,000 or more lifetime
• Horses that win a stake race

For horses born in 2018 or earlier, the uppercase blacktype applies as before if a horse meets at least one of these criteria:

• A lifetime record of 2:00 or faster
• Horses earning $100,000 or more lifetime
• Horses that win a stake race

Horses will continue to get lowercase blacktype if they don’t meet any of the above criteria but have finished second or third in a stake.

The discussion for a change in criteria was started in 2018 and the Blacktype Committee included representatives from Standardbred Horse Sales (Pete Spears), London Select Yearling Sale (Ann Straatman), Blooded Horse Sales (Jerry Haws), Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale (Steve Cross), Tattersalls/Lexington Selected Yearling Sale (David Reid) and the USTA (TC Lane, Bruce Brinkerhoff and Anne Chunko). The committee’s proposal was approved in March of 2020 by the USTA Board of Directors.