Triple Crown News Release: Champion Storm the Court Tops 347 Early Triple Crown Nominees

Posted On 06 Feb 2020

By Darren Rogers —-

CHAMPION STORM THE COURT TOPS 347 EARLY TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEES

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020) – Led by 2-year-old champion and upset Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court, a total of 347 3-year-old Thoroughbreds were made eligible to compete in this year’s Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 25.

Each of the 347 horses from the 2017 foal crop was made eligible through a $600 payment to compete in any of the Triple Crown contests: the 146th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) on May 2 at Churchill Downs (1 ¼ miles); the 145th running of the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (GI) on May 16 at Pimlico Race Course (1 3/16 miles); and the 152nd running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (GI) on June 6 at Belmont Park (1 ½ miles).

The total slipped 4.1%, or 15 horses, from last year’s 362 that were nominated at the early stage.

Storm the Court, owned by Exline-Border Racing LLC, David A. Bernsen, Susanna Wilson and Dan Hudock, could make his 3-year-old debut in Sunday’s $200,000 San Vicente (GII) over seven furlongs at Santa Anita. Trained by Peter Eurton, the Kentucky-bred son of Court Vision improved his record to 4-2-0-1—$1,172,951 when he scored a head victory over fellow Triple Crown nominee Anneau d’Or at odds of 45-1 in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) at Santa Anita.

Other prominent nominees include stakes winners Authentic (Sham); Basin (Hopeful); Chance It (Mucho Macho Man); Dennis’ Moment (Iroquois); Eight Rings (American Pharoah); Enforceable (Lecomte); Gold Street (Sugar Bowl and Smarty Jones); Green Light Go (Saratoga Special); High Velocity (Bob Hope); Independence Hall (Nashua and Jerome); Liam’s Lucky Charm (Pasco); Max Player (Withers); Maxfield (Breeders’ Futurity); Mischevious Alex (Swale); Shoplifted (Springboard Mile); Shotski (Remsen); Silver Prospector (Kentucky Jockey Club); Structor (Pilgrim and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf); Thousand Words (Los Alamitos Futurity and Robert B. Lewis); and Tiz the Law (Champagne and Holy Bull).

Ajaaweed, American Theorem, Answer In, As Seen On Tv, Azul Coast, Blackberry Wine, Candy Tycoon, Caracaro, Carpe Omnious, Cost Basis, Digital, Disc Jockey, Dreams Untold, Echo Town, Ete Indien, Exaulted, Farmington Road, Gouverneur Morris, Great Power, Honor A. P., Lane Way, Mailman Money, Major Fed, Market Analysis, Mr. Monomoy, Nadal, Palm Springs, Portos, Premier Star, Royal Act, Silver Ratio, Silver State, Three Technique, Toledo, Violent City, War Stopper, Wells Bayou and West Sider are just some of the numerous well-meant prospects that also were made eligible for the series.

Todd Pletcher, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby and three-time winner of the Belmont, led all trainers with 26 nominations. Hall of Fame conditioners Steve Asmussen, who has won three Triple Crown races, and Bob Baffert, a winner of a record 15 classics – were next with 21 and 19 nominees, respectively.

Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm led all owners with 13 nominations. Godolphin was the leading breeder with nine nominees.

First-crop sire American Pharaoh, who swept the 2015 Triple Crown, was the leading sire with 15 offspring nominated. Uncle Mo was next with 13 and was followed by Into Mischief (12), Constitution (10), Liam’s Map (10), Curlin (9) and Tapit (9).

Seven fillies were nominated, including three-time stakes winner Finite and unbeaten Taraz, who comfortably won the Letellier Memorial at Fair Grounds and Martha Washington at Oaklawn.

The nominees also include 35 horses based outside North America, including a significant 20 from Japan – up from four last year – led by Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun winner Vacation (JPN) and Cattleya Sho winner Dieu du Vin (JPN). Also, 11 horses were nominated from Ireland, including six from power-house trainer Aidan O’Brien, led by Juddmonte Royal Lodge (GII) winner Royal Dornoch (IRE), and another three from his son Joseph.

Horses not nominated to the Triple Crown during the early phase can be made eligible at www.thetriplecrown.com for $6,000 during the late nomination period which continues through March 30. If not nominated by that date, horses can become eligible through payment of a supplemental nomination fee due at the time of entry for either the Kentucky Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($150,000) or Belmont ($50,000).

Thirteen horses have swept the Triple Crown series: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018).

2020 TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEES

(g) = gelding
(r) = ridgling
(f) = filly

Unnamed
(17) Argent Affair
(17) Fashion Storm
(17) Kittery Point
(17) Sheza Smoke Show

A
Airstreem
Ajaaweed
All Eyes West
Alpha Sixty Six
Amen Corner
American Baby (JPN)
American Butterfly
American Code
American Face
American Seed
American Theorem (r)
Americanus
Ancient Land (g)
Ancient Warrior
Anneau d’Or
Answer In (g)
Art Collector
As Seen On Tv
Astaire
Atone
Attachment Rate
August Indy
Authentic
Awakened
Azul Coast

B
Background (g)
Bango
Bank
Basin
Battle of Liege
Beachcombing
Believe Now
Big City Bob
Blackberry Wine
Blanket of Roses
Blazin Bode
Boating Party
Bonspiel
Bourbon Bay
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Wisdom
Brother Brad
By Your Side
Bye Bye Melvin

C
Cafe Pharoah
Candy Machine
Candy Tycoon
Caracaro
Carpe Omnious
Censored
Centurion
Cernan
Chamberlain
Chance It
Chapalu
Charlatan
Chase Tracker
Chestertown
Chinggis Khan
Choice of Mine (AUS)
Churn N Burn (g)
Clepat (f)
Close Shave
Code Runner
Coltor (IRE)
Coming Up Roses
Convict
Cool Devil
Cool Runnings
Corral Nocturne
Cost Basis
Country Grammer
Cross Court
Crypto Cash
Czechmight

D
Daimei Corrida (JPN)
Dances With Stars (IRE)
Danon Pharaoh (JPN)
Dennis’ Moment
Deviant
Dieu du Vin (JPN)
Digital
Disc Jockey
Distant Vista (IRE) (g)
Distorted Sky
Disturbin Bourbon (g)
Divine Armor
Doctrinaire
Don Bourbon
Double Crown (g)
Dr Post
Dreamonmebaby
Dreams Untold (g)
Dudley Square
Dune of Pilat (FR)

E
Earner
Eddy Forever
Eight Rings
Ellis Island
Elusive Ruler
Encoder
Energizer
Enforceable
Ete Indien
Exaulted
Excession
Explosive
Express Pharoah
Express Train
Extraordinary

F
Fame to Famous
Fancy Liquor
Fantastic Day
Farmington Road
Farragut
Fast Enough (g)
Fifty Cents (g)
Fifty Grand
Fighting Seabee
Finite (f)
Finnick the Fierce (g)
Fire Lance (JPN)
First Line (g)
Five Tool Player
Fore Left
Forever Poe
Fort Knox
Fort Myers
Forza Di Oro
Fredericktown
Friar’s Road
Fried Rice King
Full Flat

G
Gear Jockey
Gimme Some Mo
Goalie
Gold Street
Goliad
Gouverneur Morris
Great Power
Green Light Go
Greenback
Greenbrier
Guaco

H
Hail to the Chief
Halo Again
Hero d’Oro
High Holy
High Velocity
Hishi Taizan (JPN)
Hit the Road
Hollywoodhellraisr (g)
Holy Muchacho
Honor A. P. (r)

I
Idol
If Id Told You
Ima Pharoah
Independence Hall
Informative
Inter Miami
Invader

J
Jess Mo
Johnnie Merle (IRE) (f)
Juggernaut
Jungle Runner

K
Kanderel
Karakontieparadise (f)
Kentucky Summer
Kid Mercury (g)
King Ashoka
King Khozan
King of Athens
Kingmeister
Kowalski

L
Laddie Liam
Lane Way
Laser Show (IRE)
Letmeno
Liam’s Lucky Charm
Life On the Road
Life On Top
Longonot (JPN)
Lucky Asset
Lynn’s Map

M
Magic Mojo
Mailman Money
Major Fed
Market Analysis
Marvin
Masterday
Mastering
Max Player
Maxfield
Mayberry Deputy
Merchants of Cool (g)
Meru
Mexican Wonder Boy
Mine Not Mine
Mischevious Alex
Mishriff (IRE)
Mister Candy Ride
Mkfancy (FR)
Mo Mosa
Modernist
Monarch of Egypt
Monday Morning Qb
Money Moves
Mongol Altai
Mongolian Halo
Mongolian Kingdom
Mongolian Point (g)
Montauk Traffic
Moon Over Miami
Moonlander
Mr. Big News
Mr. Hustle
Mr. Kringle
Mr. Monomoy
Myamanoi

N
Nadal
Necker Island
New Eagle
New World Tapestry
Next Revolt
Nile River
No Parole
No Salt
No Shirt No Shoes
Ny Traffic

O
Oorah
Or’effice
Our Country
Ournationonparade (g)

P
Palm Springs
Paradise Forever
Party Town
Patrol
Pellar Tate
Perfect Revenge
Phantom Boss
Pharoah Cat
Pingxiang
Play the Wildcard (g)
Pleasant Orb (f)
Poe
Portos
Positively Awesome
Precise Dancer
Premier Star
Prince of Pharoahs
Prodigious Bay

Q
Quality Warrior

R
Ra’ad
Rag Tag
Ready Reward
Ready Soul
Ready to Roll
Relentless Dancer
Reprobate
Ronithelimodriver
Rowdy Yates
Royal Act
Royal Dornoch (IRE)
Ryan’s Cat

S
Santos Dumont
Saratogian
Say When
Scabbard
Screech
Secret Camelot
Secret Rules
Seize the Day
Semper Fi
Sharecropper
Shashashakemeup
Shekhem (IRE)
Shirl’s Speight
Shivaree
Shoplifted
Shotski
Silent Fury
Silver Prospector
Silver Ratio
Silver State
Snap Chap
Sole Volante (g)
Something Natural
Sonneman
Soros
Sounion
South Bend
Spa City
Special Day
Spice Is Nice (f)
Steely Danza
Stock Deal
Storm the Court
Striking Speed (g)
Structor
Sturgill
Summer Kid
Super John
Sycamore Run

T
Tagano Beauty (JPN)
Taishan
Talkin Malice
Taraz (f)
Telephone Talker
The Big Kahuna
The Falcon
The Stiff
Thirsty Junior (g)
Thousand Words
Three Technique
Thunder Code
Time to Testify
Tiz Rye Time
Tiz the Law
Tizamagician
Toledo
Tons of Gold
Top Draw