Owners and trainers wishing make their 3-year-olds eligible for the 2014 Triple Crown series have until March 22 to add their horses to the roster of late nominations for the trio of American classics.
A payment of $6,000 must accompany each nomination made during the late phase of nominations, which will close Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).
The early nomination phase for the 2014 Triple Crown series concluded Jan. 25 with 414 horses made eligible for the three-race series of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Preakness Stakes (gr. I), and Belmont Stakes (gr. I)
Last year, 13 horses were made eligible for the Triple Crown during the late nomination period, a total that lifted the overall count of nominations to 382.
The 2014 Triple Crown series opens May 3 with the 140th running of the 1 1/4-mile Derby at Churchill Downs. The 139th Preakness Stakes, the 1 3/16-mile second jewel, is set for May 17 at Pimlico Race Course. The 146th running of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), the 1 1/2-mile final leg, is scheduled for June 7 at Belmont Park.
Late nominations to the 2014 Triple Crown can be made online or by contacting officials at the host tracks. Information on the Triple Crown nomination process and nomination forms are available online at www.TheTripleCrown.com.
Triple Crown nomination contacts at the host tracks are:
—Churchill Downs: Racing secretary Ben Huffman (Ben.Huffman@KyDerby.com) and Kelly Danner (Kelly.Danner@KyDerby.com).
—Pimlico Race Course: Director of racing/racing secretary Georganne Hale (ghale@marylandracing.com) and stakes coordinator Coleman Blind (cblind@marylandracing).
—Belmont Park: Senior vice president of racing operations Martin Panza (mpanza@nyrainc.com) and stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes (abyrnes@nyrainc.com).
Horses not nominated to the Triple Crown during after March 22 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. Due at the time of entry for either the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness or the Belmont Stakes, 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.
