BOURBON EMPIRE ADDED TO EARLY TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEES

By Darren Rogers —-

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Friday, Jan. 27, 2017) – Because of a clerical error, Bourbon Lane Stable’s Bourbon Empire was inadvertently omitted from the original list of 3-year-olds made eligible during the early nomination phase to compete in the 2017 Triple Crown.

The addition of the New York-based Mark Hennig-trained colt brings the total number of early nominees to 419, which is a 13.9 percent increase from 2016’s 368 horses.

Additionally, the ownership for Grandpa’s Dream was misspelled on the list of nominations. The correct owner is Wayne Scherr.

The 2017 Triple Crown series opens on Saturday, May 6 with the 143rd running of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 142nd Preakness, the 1 3/16-mile second jewel, is set for Saturday, May 20 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. The 149th running of the Belmont Stakes, its 1 ½-mile final leg, is scheduled for Saturday, June 10 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Owners and trainers of promising 3-year-olds were required to pay a fee of $600 to make their young stars eligible to compete in the Triple Crown series during the early nomination period, which concluded at 11:59 p.m. (all times Eastern) on Saturday, Jan. 14. A late nomination period, which requires the payment of $6,000 for each nominated 3-year-old, is now underway and continues through Monday, March 20.