Cyber Secret added to Triple Crown nominations list

The roster of three-year-old Thoroughbreds nominated to compete in the

classic races of the American Triple Crown has grown by one with the addition of

Charles J. Cella's Cyber Secret, who was omitted from the initial roster of 397

early nominations because of a clerical error.

This year's 398th nominee is a Kentucky-bred son of Broken Vow trained by

Lynn Whiting, who scored his only victory in a Triple Crown race with Lil E. Tee

in the 1992 Kentucky Derby. Cyber Secret collected his second win in four career

starts in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Oaklawn Park on February 4 by 5 1/4

lengths. He started his career with trainer Chad Brown, but was transferred to

Whiting when the colt was purchased privately by Cella after a seventh-place run

behind unbeaten Triple Crown nominee Gemologist in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey

Club on November 28 at Churchill Downs.

Officials at Churchill Downs said information on Cyber Secret was not added

to the list of early nominees after a Triple Crown representative took the

nomination at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas,  prior to the close of

the early nominations for the three-race series. Stewards at the Louisville

track approved the addition of the colt's name to the list of early nominees,

which was released to the public on February 4.

This year's early nomination period, during which each nomination was

accompanied by a $600 fee, closed on January 21. A late period for nominations

-- which requires each nomination to be accompanied by a $6,000 fee --will

conclude on March 24.

The 2012 Triple Crown series begins on May 5 with the $2 million Kentucky

Derby at Churchill Downs. The second jewel of the Triple Crown is the the $1

million Preakness Stakes, which will be run on May 19 at Pimlico. The American

classic series concludes with the Belmont Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park.

The new early nomination total for the 2012 Triple Crown races is a 9.3

percent increase over the 364 early nominees for the three-race classic series a

year ago. The roster of 2012 early Triple Crown nominees is the largest since

2009, when 412 three-year-olds were made eligible during the early period.

Brisnet is providing free online past performances of all the 2012 Triple

Crown nominees at

http://www.brisnet.com/brisnet_promos/TC12noms.pdf.