Game Winner Heads List of Nominees to Triple Crown

Led by unbeaten 2-year-old champion male and Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) victor Game Winner, a total of 362 3-year-old Thoroughbreds were made eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown series during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 26.

Each of the 362 horses from the 2016 foal crop was made eligible through a $600 payment to compete in any of the Triple Crown contests: the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) May 4 at Churchill Downs, the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (G1) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, and the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) June 8 at Belmont Park.

Last year, 360 horses were nominated at the early stage.

The full list of 2019 early nominations to the Triple Crown races

Gary and Mary West's Game Winner, who boasts a perfect record in four starts, was one of 17 horses nominated by Hall of Famer and five-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert. The record 15-time classic winner also trains Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (G1) victor Improbable, who is campaigned by three-fourths of the same team that swept last year's Triple Crown with Justify : WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and Starlight Racing.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen led all trainers with 27 nominations. In addition to Baffert, Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher also had 17 nominees.

Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm led all owners with 13 nominations and had six as a breeder. Godolphin had the most nominees among breeders with seven.

For the third straight year, Tapit  was the leading sire with 19 offspring nominated. Into Mischief  was next with 15 and was followed by Curlin  (13), Cairo Prince  (11), and Uncle Mo  (11).

Four fillies were nominated, including champion 2-year-old filly and Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Jaywalk and multiple grade 1 winner Bellafina.

A closer look at this year's early nominations

Eight current grade/group 1 winners are nominated. Besides Game Winner, Improbable, Jaywalk, and Bellafina, other top-level winners nominated include Knicks Go, Mind Control, Royal Marine, and Royal Meeting.

The nominees also include 20 horses based outside North America—11 from Europe, five from Dubai, and four from Japan. Irish-based trainer Aidan O'Brien and owners associated with Coolmore nominated seven, including two group stakes-winning sons of Scat Daddy: Sergei Prokofiev and Van Beethoven. 

Notable horses not nominated to this year's Triple Crown include Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Complexity and Saratoga Special Stakes Presented by Miller Lite (G2) and Swale Stakes (G3) winner Call Paul.

Horses not nominated to the Triple Crown during the early phase can be made eligible at thetriplecrown.com for $6,000 during the late nomination period, which continues through April 1. Last year, 10 horses were nominated in the late nomination period.

If not nominated by that date, horses can become eligible through payment of a supplemental nomination fee due at the time of entry for either the Kentucky Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($150,000), or Belmont ($50,000).

Thirteen horses have swept the Triple Crown series: 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), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah  (2015), and Justify  (2018).