Champions highlight 2005 Triple Crown nominations

Juvenile champions DECLAN'S MOON (Malibu Moon) and SWEET CATOMINE (Storm Cat)

head the list of 357 sophomores nominated to the 2005 Triple Crown. Comprised of

the May 7 Kentucky Derby (G1), May 21 Preakness S. (G1) and June 11 Belmont S.

(G1), a $5 million bonus awaits the three-year-old who can sweep the historic

triple, a feat last accomplished by Affirmed in 1978.

Owners and breeders had until January 22 to nominate their three-year-olds to

the Triple Crown at $600 apiece, but horses can still be added to the list at

$6,000 each during the late nomination period, which ends March 26.

Declan's Moon was named champion two-year-old last year after taking the

Hollywood Futurity (G1) and ending his juvenile season undefeated from four

starts. He'll try to become the first juvenile champion since Spectacular Bid to

take the Derby. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) heroine Sweet Catomine, one

of seven fillies nominated to the Triple Crown, dropped her career debut but

hasn't been caught since, most recently taking the Santa Ysabel S. (G3) while

making her three-year-old bow.

Other notables entered during the early sign-up include Breeders' Cup

Juvenile (G1) hero WILKO (Awesome Again); Hopeful S. (G1) winner AFLEET ALEX

(Northern Afleet); Grade 2 winner ROCKPORT HARBOR (Unbridled's Song), who is

undefeated from four starts;

Saturday's Sham S. victor GOING WILD (Golden Missile); the highly regarded HARLINGTON (Unbridled)

and BANDINI (Fusaichi Pegasus); and SO LONG

BIRDIE (Pioneering), who is a half-brother to Belmont S. (G1) hero Birdstone and

Kentucky Oaks (G1) queen Bird Town (Cape Town).

The number of nominations for this year's Triple Crown is off from the past

four years when more than 400 nominations came in during the early nomination

period, but Edward Seigenfeld, executive vice president of Triple Crown

Productions, was not surprised.

"The dip in this year's nominations to the 2005 Visa Triple Crown and $5

million Visa Triple Crown Challenge was not unexpected," Seigenfeld said. "This

is the year in which MRLS (Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome) was expected to be

significant and our early-nomination total reflects a similar drop in numbers

for Breeders' Cup nominations for this crop of three-year-olds."

The list of 357 early nominees also includes 29 who were born outside of the

United States, with 11 Irish-bred runners leading the way. Kentucky tops all

other U.S. states as birthplace of 232 of the candidates, while Florida follows

with 44. California and Maryland round out the top three with 12 each.