Early Nominees to Triple Crown Races Increase

American Pharoah and Take Charge Brandi, last year's respective champion 2-year-old male and female, head the list of 429 Thoroughbreds made eligible to compete in the 2015 Triple Crown during the early nomination phase for the series of three classics.

The number of early nominees to this year's three grade I races for 3-year-olds—the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands at Churchill Downs May 2, the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes May 16 at Pimlico Race Course, and the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes June 6 at Belmont Park—reflects an increase of 15 nominations, or 3.6%. There were 414 3-year-olds made eligible during the Triple Crown's early nomination phase last year, a 12.2% increase over the 369 horses made eligible during that phase in 2013.

The early nomination period for the 2015 Triple Crown opened Dec. 20 and closed at 11:59 p.m. (all times Eastern) on Saturday, Jan. 17. Nominations were required to be accompanied by payment of a $600 fee.

A late nomination period for the Triple Crown is now underway, requiring payment of $6,000 for each nominated 3-year-old prior to 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 23. Ten horses were nominated in last year's late nomination period for a final total of 424. That total was the largest since a record 460 horses were nominated to the Triple Crown in 2008. This year's 429 early Triple Crown nominees represent 1.8% of the 2012 North American foal crop, which was estimated at 23,500 Thoroughbreds.

Zayat Stables' American Pharoah, whose two wins in three races include grade I triumphs in the Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner Stakes, is one of 15 nominees trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who has nine Triple Crown wins on his résumé. The total includes three victories in the Kentucky Derby, five Preakness triumphs, and one win in the Belmont Stakes. Also among Baffert's nominees is Kaleem Shah's unbeaten Dortmund, recent winner of the Los Alamitos Futurity (gr. I).



Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, 79, trains Willis Horton's Take Charge Brandi, one of 11 fillies nominated to the 2015 Triple Crown. Lukas trained Winning Colors, one of only three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby, and is the all-time leading trainer in Triple Crown victories with 14, his most recent being a victory by Calumet Farm's Oxbow   in the 2013 Preakness. Lukas has won the Kentucky Derby four times, collected six victories in the Preakness, and won the Belmont Stakes four times. Also among Lukas' 2015 Triple Crown nominees is Zayat Sables' Mr. Z, runner-up in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) and third in the Los Alamitos Futurity.



Other stars among the early nominees to this year's Triple Crown include:

—Erich Brehm, Wayne Detmar, Lee Michaels and Keith Desormeaux et al's Texas Red, trained by Desormeaux and the winner of the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I);

—WinStar Farm and Stonestreet Stables' Carpe Diem, winner of the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland and runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile;

—Ralph M. Evans' Upstart, third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and winner of the Holy Bull (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park;

—Richard C. Pell's Calculator, runner-up to American Pharoah in the Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner and winner of the Sham Stakes (gr. III) at Santa Anita Park;

—Let's Go Stable and WinStar Farm's Daredevil, winner of the Champagne (gr. I) at Belmont Park;

—Nancy Favreau, Kathy Psoinos and Michael B. Tabor's Competitive Edge, the unbeaten winner of the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I);

—Zayat Stables' El Kabeir, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) and Jerome Stakes (gr. III);

—Godolphin Racing's Imperia, runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club and winner of the Pilgrim (gr. IIIT) on turf;

—Ken and Sarah Ramsey's International Star, winner of the Grey Stakes (Can-III) at Woodbine and Lecomte (gr. III) stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots;

—and Robert V. La Penta and Harry Rosenblum's Far Right, winner of the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park.



The leader among trainers in total Triple Crown nominees is seven-time Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher, who made 34 horses eligible for the series during the early nomination phase. His individual total is down from 2014, when Pletcher nominated 41 horses during the early period. The 47-year-old Pletcher has won three Triple Crown races, a total that includes one Kentucky Derby victory and a pair of triumphs in the Belmont Stakes. Pletcher's 2015 army of Triple Crown hopes is headed by the grade I-winning trio of Carpe Diem, Competitive Edge, and Daredevil.



Chad Brown nominated 24 horses to rank second to Pletcher. Others with double-figure early nomination totals include Jerry Hollendorfer (16), Baffert (15), Lukas (14), Steve Asmussen (13), and Dale Romans (10). Art Sherman, who saddled Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male California Chrome to victories in last year's Derby and Preakness, is not represented by any early nominees.



Calumet Farm, a Thoroughbred racing icon that campaigned Triple Crown winners Citation (1948) and Whirlaway (1941) and is the all-time leader in victories in the elusive series with 18, is the nomination leader among owners after making 15 horses eligible. Calumet won the Kentucky Derby a record eight times, has won a record eight renewals of the Preakness, and collected its pair of Belmont Stakes wins when Whirlaway and Citation completed their Triple Crown sweeps. The victory by Oxbow in the 2013 Preakness was the first Triple Crown victory for Calumet Farm under new owner Brad Kelley, and first for the operation since Forward Pass won the 1968 Preakness.



Ten Triple Crown early nominees are owned by Charles Fipke, the only other owner with a nomination total in double figures. Godolphin Racing, Michael Tabor, and Zayat Stables are next with nine nominees, owned either individually or in partnership.

Leading breeders are Darley and WinStar Farm, with each being the breeder of 11 nominees. Stonestreet Stables is next with 10, and Fipke bred nine early nominees.



The roster of 2015 Triple Crown-eligible horses includes 379 colts, 30 geldings, 11 fillies, and nine ridglings. Of the 429 early nominees, 409 of those were bred in the United States and 323 of that number, or 75%, were foaled in Kentucky.



Twenty horses were bred outside of the United States. Thirteen of those were bred in Canada, with six foaled in Ireland and one in France.



The Kentucky Derby field has been limited to 20 starters since 1975 and the horses that enter the starting gate for this year's running will again be determined by points earned in the 35-race "Road to the Kentucky Derby" eligibility system, which debuted in 2013. If Derby entries total more than the maximum field of 20, up to four "also eligible" entrants will be permitted. If one or more starters is scratched prior to 9 a.m. on Friday, May 1, the also-eligible horse or horses with the highest preference in the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" system will be allowed to replace the scratched horse or horses in the starting gate.



The field for the Preakness is limited to 14 starters, while the Belmont Stakes permits a maximum of 16 horses in its starting gate.



Three-year-olds that were not nominated for the Triple Crown series during either the early or late nomination phases have a final opportunity to become eligible for the races through the payment of a supplemental nomination fee. Due at the time of entry for either the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, or Belmont, the supplemental fee process makes a horse eligible for the remainder of the Triple Crown series. A supplemental nomination at the time of entry to the Kentucky Derby requires payment of $200,000. The fee is $150,000 if paid prior to the Preakness, or $75,000 at time of entry to the Belmont Stakes.



Churchill Downs adjusted its entry process in 2014 to permit horses who are made nominations prior to the Kentucky Derby to be treated the same as original nominees. If one or more supplemental nominees possess sufficient "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points to qualify for the Derby field, they will be allowed to start over original nominees with lesser qualifications. Under its previous policy, Churchill Downs gave preference to original nominees to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown over supplemental nominees.



A sweep of the three Triple Crown races has been accomplished 11 times by Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978).



The 36-year gap since the most recent Triple Crown sweep by Affirmed in 1978 is the longest in the history of the series. The previous record was the 25-year span between the 1948 Triple Crown earned by Citation and Secretariat's record-shattering three-race sweep in 1973.