Early Nominations to Triple Crown Due Jan. 17
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The deadline for owners and trainers of promising 3-year-old Thoroughbreds to make their horses eligible for the 2015 Triple Crown races is approaching quickly.
The window to the early nomination phase for the trio of American classic races that includes the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (gr. I) will close Saturday, Jan. 17.
Early Triple Crown nominations opened Dec. 20 and the deadline for acceptance of early nominees is 11:59 p.m. (all times Eastern). The nomination of each horse must be accompanied by a fee of $600 to make that individual eligible to compete in any or all races in the series.
A late nomination period, which requires the payment of $6,000 for each nominated 3-year-old, will open at 12 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, and run through Monday, March 23.
All Triple Crown nominations made by traditional mail during the early phase must be postmarked by the Jan. 17 closing date. Nominations can easily be made online at www.TheTripleCrown.com, or via telephone with a designated representative from one of the three Triple Crown host tracks. Online and telephone nominations must be made prior to the 11:59 p.m. deadline on Jan. 17.
The roster of early nominees to the 2015 Triple Crown races will be released at 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31.
The 2014 Triple Crown series attracted 414 early nominations, a 12.2 percent increase over the 369 horses made eligible in that period in 2013. Ten more 3-year-olds were added during the late nomination phase, which brought total Triple Crown nominations for 2013 to 424. The number of total nominations in 2014 was the largest since a record 460 horses were nominated to the Triple Crown in 2008.
Representatives of the Triple Crown host tracks include:
• Churchill Downs: Racing Secretary Ben Huffman at (502) 638-3820 or ... Kelly Danner at (502) 638-3825 or ... Fax: (502) 638-3915.
• Pimlico Race Course: Director of Racing/Racing Secretary Georganne Hale at (800) 638-1859 or ... Stakes Coordinator Coleman Blind at same number or ;
• Belmont Park: Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Martin Panza at (718) 659-4241 or ... Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrnes at same number or ... Fax: (718) 659-3581.
Representatives seeking nominations at various U.S. tracks prior to Jan. 17 include Churchill Downs' Huffman and Dan Bork and Pimlico's Blind at Gulfstream Park; Byrnes at Aqueduct Racetrack; NYRA's Panza and Santa Anita Park Racing Secretary Rick Hammerle at Santa Anita; Steve Krajcir at Oaklawn Park; Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Alison DeLuca at Tampa Bay Downs; Racing Secretary Jason Boulet at Fair Grounds and Assistant Racing Secretary Tia Murphy at Turfway Park.