401 3-year-olds nominated to Triple Crown races

[Alan07]

Steve Asmussen ended Todd Pletcher’s four-year grip as the nation’s top trainer, and now he’s surpassed him with the most nominations to the Triple Crown races.

Asmussen, the 2008 Eclipse Award-winning trainer who guided Curlin to consecutive Horse of the Year titles, has 25 3-year-olds on the list of 401 thoroughbreds made eligible for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

The list was to be released Sunday morning.

Pletcher was next with 20. Two-time Derby winning trainer Nick Zito was third with 19—the same number he had last year. Zayat Stables led owners with 22 nominations—the third year in a row Ahmed Zayat’s stable topped the list.

Among the top names on the list are 2-year-old champions Midshipman and the filly Stardom Bound.

The early nominating fee was $600. A latecomers fee is $6,000 due in March, with a final chance to get in for a $200,000 supplemental fee due before the Derby on May 2.

With a bleak economy, the total nominations dropped for the first time since 2005. Last year, 449 3-year-olds were nominated; the record is 450 in 2007.

http://www.woodbineentertainment.com...327319396?1191