2023 Triple Crown Nominations Increase 18% to 369
Led by the 2-year-old and three-time Class I champion Forte 369 3-year-old Thoroughbreds are eligible to compete for this year’s Triple Crown during the early nomination period, which ends January 28.
Each of the 369 horses from the 2020 foal crop are eligible through a $600 payout to compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series. Triple Crown 2023 opens on Saturday, May 6, with the 149th run of the 1 1/4 mile Kentucky Derby (GI) at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The 148th Preakness (GI), its 1 3/16 mile second gem, is set for Saturday, May 20, at Racecourse Pimlico in Baltimore. The 155th run of the Belmont Stakes (GI), the last mile and a half of the series, is scheduled for Saturday, June 10, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York
The total early nominations up 18.2%, or 57 horses, from last year’s total of 312. Nominations include a record 37 horses based in Japan, 16 more than last year’s record of 21. online.
Forte, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, and lobbied by Todd Pletcher, is expected to launch in 2023 in the next few weeks. The champion foal won the Hopeful Stakes (G1), Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) awards last year. Forte is one of 36 horses nominated by Pletcher for this year’s Triple Crown.
Overall, 52 stake winners were nominated for Triple Crown. Some of the most notable: Arab Knights (Southwest, G3); Blazing Sevens (Champagne, G1); stone cave (Future Del Mar, G1); Curly Jack (Iroquois, G3); Dubyuhnell (Remsen, G2); Forte (The Juvenile Breeder Cup); kid Hoosier Philly (Yellow tree, G2); Instant coffee (Lecomte, G3); new gate (Robert B. Lewis, G3); Realistic move (Los Alamitos Futurity, G2); Missiles can (Saint Bull, G3); Two Phil (Street Sense, G3) and winning lineup (Smart Jones).
Spendthrift Ranch has nominated 19 horses that it either owns exclusively or in partnership with. Spendthrift has also produced two Triple Crown contenders.
Brad Cox leads all the trainers with 38 nominated horses, including the recent Lecomte Stakes instant coffee. Next up is Pletcher with 36 nominations, followed by Steve Asmussen (13), Kenny McPeek (13), Chad Brown (12) and Japan’s Hideyuki Mori (12).
Horses not currently assigned a coach or horses in the care of any trainer suspended from competition in the 2023 Kentucky Derby whose trainer is listed as “TBD”. For the Kentucky Derby, horses in the care of any suspended or affiliated trainer may be transferred to a non-suspended trainer and be eligible to earn Road to the Kentucky Derby points. on a forward-looking basis as long as the transition is completed by February .28.
Hall of Fame coach Bob Baffert, a two-time Triple Crown winner, who has one of the deepest and most talented stables for 3-year-olds in North America, is currently banned from competing at the Churchill tracks. Downs Inc. until the beginning of July. This is given in response to Zedan Racing Stables’ Medina spirit tested positive for betamethasone after passing the first wire in the 2021 Kentucky Derby and other drug violations involving the coach.
Triple Crown Early Nominees by Number:
- $3,550,000: Buy the highest public auction 🙁Hejazi 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-year-old in training).
- $1.595,150: Highest earnings of a nominated horse (Forte). Other top earners (as of February 3): stone cave ($748,000), Victoria Street ($663,779), Dura Erede ($633,186), and own creed ($618,913).
- $3,000: Buy the lowest public auction: Accident (Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Fall Annual Sale 2021).
- 285: The number of people of mixed Kentucky. Other states represented are Florida (19), New York (19), California (5), Maryland (3), Pennsylvania (3), Oklahoma (2) and Texas (1).
- 161: Number of registered flying horses. Other registered colors are dark or brown (93), chestnut (74), gray or tan (39), brown (1), gray (1).
- 125: Number of trainers who nominated horses for the Triple Crown.
- 39: Ponies after Kentucky Horse Racing Day (May 6).
- 32: Ponies outside the United States. The other countries are Japan (24), Ireland (4), Canada (3) and UK (1).
- 17: Horses follow the male into naughty . He is followed by make for curly (15), good magic (14), and justification (14).
- 2: Nominated fillings. They are Hoosier Philly and Julia shines
Owners of 3-year-olds who were not nominated for Triple Crown during the early nomination period can make a late payment of $6,000 through March 27.
Thirteen horses 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), Affirmation (1978), American Pharoah (2015) and justification (2018).
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.