Ten announced as late Triple Crown nominees

The late nomination period for the classic races of the 2014 Triple Crown

concluded March 22 with a total of 10 additional three-year-olds added to the

roster of horses that are eligible to complete in the 2014 renewal of the prized

three-race series.

The additions raised the overall nomination total for the Triple Crown races

to 424 (pending late mail), which is the largest total since a record 460 horses

were nominated in 2008. The 2014 total reflects an 11 percent increase from the

382 in 2013 and is the eighth-highest since the common nominating process for

the three races was established in 1986.

Late nominations of three-year-olds by owners and trainers were due by 11:59

p.m. (EDT) on March 22 and payment of a $6,000 fee was required for each late

nominee.

The most accomplished of the late nominees based in North America is Dance

With Fate, runner-up in the recent El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields

and in Grade 1 competition as a two-year-old in the FrontRunner at Santa Anita

and the Del Mar Futurity, and Harry's Holiday, who ran a close second to We Miss

Artie in Saturday's Spiral at Turfway Park.

But the only graded stakes winner among the late Triple Crown nominees is

Tonito M., a son of Rock Hard Ten now trained by Hall of Famer Jerry

Hollendorfer who raced previously in Puerto Rico. Tonito M. won six of seven

career starts at Camarero, including the Clasico Agustin Mercado Reveron Stakes

in December and an 11 1/2-length victory in the George Washington on February

16.

The complete roster of late nominations to the 2014 Triple Crown includes

(with owner, trainer):

The early nomination phase for the 2014 Triple Crown races concluded on

Janunary 25 with an international cast of 414 horses made eligible for the

three-race series. Thirteen horses were made eligible for the Triple Crown

during the late nomination period in 2013, a total that lifted the year's

overall count to 382.

Three-year-olds that were not nominated to the Triple Crown during its early

and late nomination phases will have a final opportunity to become eligible to

compete in one or all of those races through the payment of a supplemental

nomination fee. Due at the time of entry for either the Kentucky Derby, the

Preakness or the Belmont Stakes, the supplemental fee process makes a horse

eligible for the remainder of the Triple Crown series. A supplemental nomination

at the time of entry to the Kentucky Derby requires payment of $200,000. The fee

is $150,000 if paid prior to the Preakness or $75,000 at time of entry to the

Belmont Stakes.

Churchill Downs adjusted its supplemental nomination process this year to

allow nominations made prior to the Kentucky Derby to be treated the same as

original nominees. If a supplemental nominee has collected sufficient points to

qualify for the Derby field, that horse would be allowed to start over early or

late nominees that possess lesser qualifications. Under its previous policy,

Churchill Downs gave preference to original nominees to the Kentucky Derby and

Triple Crown over supplemental nominees.

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