Horses nominated to 2020 Triple Crown races dip to lowest total in 25 years.
Calumet Farm of Lexington has nominated 13 horses to this year’s Triple Crown races, the most by any owner among the 347 Thoroughbreds made eligible for 2020.
The 347 nominees to this year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes were down 15 from last year and were the fewest since only 317 were nominated in 1995. Owners had to submit a $600 payment by Jan. 25 to make their 3-year-olds eligible for any of the three Triple Crown races.
The drop in nominees reflects an ongoing decline in the North American foal crop, which totaled 22,500 in 2017, the year this season’s 3-year-olds were born. That total was 44,143 in 1990, 34,983 in 1995 and 35,274 as recently as 2008, according to figures from The Jockey Club.
Madaket Stables followed Calumet with 10 nominations this year. Charles Fipke and WinStar Farm each nominated nine, and China Horse Club and Godolphin nominated eight each.
Todd Pletcher, who has won the Kentucky Derby twice and the Belmont three times, led trainers with 26 nominations, and was followed by Hall of Famers Steve Asmussen with 21 and Bob Baffert with 19.
The nominees include 316 colts, 21 geldings, seven fillies and three ridglings. Of the total, 274 were born in Kentucky, and 28 were foaled internationally. Godolphin was the leading breeder with nine nominees.
Storm the Court, winner of last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award for top 2-year-old, heads the list of nominees with $1,172,951 in career earnings.
Other top nominees, with odds in this week’s Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager include Tiz the Law (8-1), Independence Hall (10-1), Dennis’ Moment (12-1), Nadal (12-1), Authentic (15-1), Maxfield (15-1) and Thousand Words (15-1). Storm the Court is 30-1.
American Pharoah, who completed horse racing’s grand slam of winning the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2015, led all sires with 15 offspring nominated. Uncle Mo was next with 13.
Horses not nominated during this early phase can still be made eligible for a $6,000 fee between now and March 30. The only way into a Triple Crown race after that point is through payment of a supplemental fee at the time of entry for the Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($150,000) or Belmont ($50,000).
2020 Triple Crown races
May 2: $3 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville
May 16: $1.5 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.
June 6: $1.5 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.