326 early nominees for Triple Crown topped by champion Essential Quality

February 4, 2021

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

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