Rebel Stakes winner Crafty Shaw and trainer Peter Vestal.
Seven 3-year-olds, including three horses that ran in Oaklawn Park's Rebel Stakes (gr. III), were nominated to the Visa Triple Crown and $5-million Visa Triple Crown Challenge before the March 31 late deadline. As a result of the new nominees, the total nominated to this year's series was 447, just short of the record 452 nominees to the three-race series in 1986."It's always gratifying to see the development of these young Thoroughbreds as the Visa Triple Crown trail unwinds each year," said Edward P. Seigenfeld, executive vice president of Triple Crown Productions.The three Rebel Stakes graduates were Crafty Shaw, Arctic Boy, and Son of Rocket, who finished first, second, and fourth, respectively, in the March 24 race as a prep for the Arkansas Derby (gr. II) at Oaklawn on April 14.Also among the late nominees was Richly Blended, the winner of the Gotham Stakes (gr. III) who is headed to the April 14 Wood Memorial; Camden Park, who finished fourth in Turfway Park's Spiral Stakes on March 24; True Concern, who is expected to run in Saturday's Illinois Derby at Sportsmen's Park; and Cherokee Kim, a maiden winner at Santa Anita who is also possible for the Illinois Derby.Crafty Shaw is owned by Lucky Seven Stable and trained by Peter Vestal. Arctic Boy is a gray son of Maria's Mon owned by breeder Royce G. Roberts and trained by Tony J. Richey. Son of Rocket, who won Oaklawn Park's Southwest Stakes, is a son of El Prado owned by breeder Frank Fletcher Jr. and trained by Robert Holthus. Richly Blended is a bay son of Rizzi owned by Raymond Dweck and trained by Ben Perkins Jr. Representing owners Mark Stanley and John Veith and trainer Elliott Walden is Camden Park, who made his stakes debut in the Spiral. Tom Boy Stable's True Concern is trained by Thomas Amoss, and Cherokee Kim is owned by Dan Agnew's Wenga Enterprises and trained by Jerry Fanning, who conditioned 1983 Kentucky Derby runner-up Desert Wine.
