Dance With Fate Among Late TC Nominations

The late nomination period for the classic races of the 2014 Triple Crown concluded late March 22 with 10 additional 3-year-old Thoroughbreds added to the roster of horses that are eligible to complete in the 2014 renewal of the three-race classic series.  

 

The additions raised the overall nomination total for the Triple Crown races to 424 (pending late mail), which is the largest total since a record 460 horses were nominated in 2008. 

 

The most accomplished of the late nominees based in North America are Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stable and Ciaglia Racing/Peter Eurton's Dance With Fate, runner-up in the recent El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) at Golden Gate Fields and runner-up as a 2-year-old in the FrontRunner (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park and the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I); and Skychai Racing, Terry Raymond and Jana Wagner's Harry's Holiday, who ran a close second to We Miss Artie in the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes (gr. III) March 22 at Turfway Park.

 

Also nominated is Triple M. Racing Group's Tonito M., a son of Rock Hard Ten now trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer after previously racing in Puerto Rico. He won six of seven career starts at Camarero Race Park, including the Clasico Agustin Mercado Reveron Stakes in December and an 11 1/2-length victory in the George Washington Stakes on Feb. 16.

 

Horses not nominated to the Triple Crown during its early and late nomination phases will have a final opportunity to become eligible to compete in one or all of those races through the payment of a supplemental nomination fee. A supplemental nomination at the time of entry to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) requires payment of $200,000. The fee is $150,000 if paid prior to the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) or $75,000 at time of entry to the Belmont Stakes (gr. I).

 

The early nomination phase for the 2014 Triple Crown races concluded on Jan. 25 with an international cast of 414 horses made eligible for the three-race series. Thirteen horses were made eligible for the Triple Crown during the late nomination period in 2013, a total that lifted the year's overall count to 382.