LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Led by 2-year-old champion and two-time Grade I winner Essential Quality, a total of 326 3-year-old Thoroughbreds were made eligible to compete in this year’s Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 23.
Each of the 326 horses from the 2018 foal crop were made eligible through a $600 payment to compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series. The 2021 Triple Crown opens Saturday, May 1 with the 147th running of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 146th Preakness, its 1 3/16-mile second jewel, is set for Saturday, May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes, the series’ 1 ½-mile final leg, is scheduled for Saturday, June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
Essential Quality, owned by Godolphin, is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (GIII) on Feb. 15 at Oaklawn, according to his trainer Brad Cox. The champion 2-year-old of 2020 was one of 14 horses Cox nominated to this year’s Triple Crown series.
Trainer Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with 45 horses nominated to the Triple Crown followed by Bob Baffert (23), Steve Asmussen (22) and Chad Brown (18).
Godolphin led all individual owners with 11 horses nominated followed by Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm with 10.
Overall, 42 stakes winners were nominated to the Triple Crown. Among them are Brooklyn Strong (Remsen); Caddo River (Smarty Jones); Capo Kane (Jerome); Fire At Will (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf); Get Her Number (American Pharoah); Greatest Honour (Holy Bull); Jackie’s Warrior (Champagne); Keepmeinmind (Kentucky Jockey Club); Life Is Good (Sham); Medina Spirit (Robert B. Lewis); Midnight Bourbon (Lecomte); Senor Buscador (Springboard Mile); Sittin On Go (Iroquois); Spielberg (Los Al Futurity).
Total nominations were 21 fewer horses than last year’s 347 during the early stage, a slip of 6.1%.
Early Triple Crown Nominees by the numbers:
$1.5 million: Tied for the highest public auction purchase price between Conquer the World (2019 Fasig Tipton August) and Golden Whim (2019 Keeneland September Yearling).
265: Number of Kentucky-bred horses. Other states represented are California (5), Florida (14), Illinois (1), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), New Jersey (1), New York (17), Pennsylvania (2), Virginia (1), Washington (2) and West Virginia (1).
20: Horses produced by top sire Into Mischief. He’s followed by Curlin (14), Uncle Mo (14) and Constitution (13).
14: Horses foaled outside of the United States. Other countries are Canada (7), Ireland (4) and Japan (3).
13: Number fillies that were nominated. Among them are champion 2-year-old filly and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner Vequist and Ashland (GI) winner Simply Ravishing.
5: Number of horses nominated who are based in Japan including Zennippon Nisai Yushun winner Alain Barows (JPN) and Cattelya Sho winner Lemon Pop.
Horses not nominated during the early phase can be made eligible until Monday, March 29 with a $6,000 payment. Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become Triple Crown eligible through payment of a supplemental nomination fee due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race: the Kentucky Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($100,000) and 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).
2021 Triple Crown Nominees (in alphabetical order):
(18)Highestmaintenance
(18)Rose to Gold
(18)Vivo Per Lei
(18)White Waves
Affable
Alain Barows (JPN)
Alejandro
All Bodes Well
Amazing Rocket
American Drama
Amount
Angkor
Annex
Arabian Prince
Atlantic Road
Avenue
Aviano
Awesome Gerry
B C Glory Days
Baltasar
Beep Beep
Behavin Myself
Bennyfromthebronx
Best Bet
Bezos
Big Fish
Big Flame
Big Lake
Big Thorn
Blue Boon
Bobby Bo
Bold Minister
Bourbonic
Bracken
Breadman
Brooklyn Strong
By George
Caddo River
Call of Honor
Camp Hope
Candy Man Rocket
Cantata
Capo Kane
Captain Fantastic
Cardinal Bird
Carillo
Cash Rocket
Cathkin Peak (IRE)
Cazadero
Chaos Reigns
Chargeittothegame
Circumvent
Clairiere
Classier
Coastal Kid
Collaborate
Colonel Bowman
Concert Tour
Conquer the World
Continental Coins
Cool Rags
Core Curriculum
Count Tolstoy
Country Captain
Cowan
Cronus
Crowded Trade
Danish Ekati
Defeater
Defunded
Deservedly
Devils Sky
Dis Ones On Fire
Do the Honors
Dolder Grand
Donegal Bay
D’oro Forever
Dr Ardito
Dream Shake
Dreamer’s Disease
Du Jour
Dupuis
Dyn O Mite
Dynamic One
Earls Rock (IRE)
El Socio
Elector
Eleven Central
Emperor’s Cause
Epic Run
Essential Quality
Everesting
Exalted Charm
Exalted Joy
Excellent Timing
Fairchild
Federal Bureau
Fenway
Fighting Force
Find New Roads
Fire At Will
Fire Sword
First Task
Fly Like an Eagle
Following Sea
Fortified
Founder
France Go de Ina
Freedom Fighter
Frozen Assets
Full Charge
Full Court Press
Future Victory
Gagetown
Garoppolo
Genomic
Gershwin
Get Her Number
Ghazaaly
Ghostliner
Global Appeal
Goddard
Golden Spoke
Golden Whim
Greatest Honour
Gretzky the Great
Grey Storm
Hachure
Harbored Memories
Harvard
Hello Hot Rod
He’s in Charge
He’smyhoneybadger
Hidden Stash
High Yield Kitten
Higher Quality
Highly Motivated
Hold the Salsa
Hot Rod Charlie
Houdini’s Awesome
Hozier
Hudson Ridge
Hush of a Storm
Hyperfocus
I Am the Law
Imperial Road
Inspector Frost
Inspiration Point
Isolate
It’s a Gamble
Jackie’s Warrior
Jasper Dream
Jirafales
Joe Man Joe
Keepmeinmind
Khafre
Kinetic Sky
King Fury
Kingdom Warrior
King’s Ovation
Knopfler
Known Agenda
Koolhaus
La Perouse (JPN)
Lady Speightspeare
Laker Mamba
Lamutanaatty
Laurel River
Law Professor
Leblon
Lemon Pop
Life Is Good
Like the King
Likeable
Lucky Law (IRE)
Magnificent
Malathaat
Mandaloun
Masqueparade
Medina Spirit
Midnight Bourbon
Millean
Money Mike
Moonlite Strike
Mubtadaa
Mucho Del Oro
Mutasaabeq
Mutasallem
My Favorite Uncle
Myopic
Naco
Naismith
Never Surprised
Newyearsblockparty
Next
Nicky the Vest
Notable Exception
Notary
Nova Rags
O Besos
Ocean Ride
One Fast Cat
One Two Kid
Ottothelegend
Outadore
Outasite
Overtook
Papetu
Parnelli
Partner’s Hope
Patron d’Oro
Pauline’s Pearl
Perfect Cut
Perfect Munnings
Petruchio
Pickin’ Time
Prate
Prevalence
Primary Endpoint
Prime Factor
Prince Ziggy
Private Network
Promise Keeper
Proxy
Publicly Available
Q B One
Racarino
Ram
Ranger Fox
Realm of Law
Rebel’s Romance (IRE)
Red Flag
Regal Run
Ricochet
Ridin With Biden
Rightandjust
Risk Taking
River Redemption
Road Bible
Rock Your World
Roman Centurian
Rombauer
Rosenquist
Royal Realm
Royal Tryst
Run Classic
Runway Magic
Saffa’s Day
Sainthood
Santa Cruiser
Santos to Wilson
Savile Row
Scales of Justice
Scarlet Fusion
Scarred
Senor Buscador
Shackqueenking
Shadow Matter
Shaftesbury
Simovitch
Simply Ravishing
Sir Ollie
Sittin On Go
Smiley Sobotka
Son of Thunder
Sososubtle
Soup and Sandwich
Souper Sensational
Southern District
Speaker’s Corner
Speight’spercomete
Speightstown Shirl
Spielberg
Spirit Maker
Stage Raider
Stainless Steel
Star Sailor
Starrininmydreams
Stayin’ Out Late
Super Stock
Super Strong
Swiftsure
Swing Low
Swingman
Swot Analysis
Taita
Tallis
Taraashoq
Tarantino
Tesoro
Texas Royalty
The Chosen Vron
The Great One
There Goes Harvard
Tivoli Twirl
Tiwanaku
Tiz Tact Toe
Too Boss
Traveller
Triple Tap
Troubadour
Tulsa Tornado
Ubiquitous
Ultimate Badger
Unbridled d’Oro
Unbridled Honor
Unembellished
Uno
Untreated
Value Creation
Vanishing Point
Vequist
Warbird
Warrant
Warrior in Chief
Waspirant
Whiskey Double
Whitaker
Whole Shebang (JPN)
Wildcat Nation
Will E Sutton
Winfromwithin
Wipe the Slate
Wolfie’s Dynaghost
World Cruiser
Zaajel
Press Release
