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

[sumitas]

boring

[Echo Farm]

Originally Posted by sumitas

boring

For those who don't find it boring:

The racing industry’s economy-induced contraction has reached the Triple Crown in the form of a 10.7% reduction in the number of horses made eligible for the 2009 series.

The early nomination period closed January 24 with 401 nominees, down 48 horses from 449 in 2008 and the lowest number since 358 horses were nominated for the 2005 series, which was the crop reduced by mare reproductive loss syndrome.

The three-year-olds of 2009 represent a North American crop of 41,115 live foals, which was the largest crop this decade. The percentage of nominated horses is 9.3%, compared with 10.7% last year.

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/rac...7-in-2009.aspx

The List (PDF)

[Bobby Fischer]

Originally Posted by Alan07

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.

So last year was 1 shy of the record since they have had the nomination system. Maybe they had a BOUNCE

[Bobby Fischer]

so if best beyer was blank "--" , that means he hasn't yet made a debut?

[Danzig]

wonder what next years foal crop will be?

[Echo Farm]

Originally Posted by Danzig

wonder what next years foal crop will be?

After this year's sales? should be under 25K, but who knows?

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Echo Farm

After this year's sales? should be under 25K, but who knows?

i'm just thinking about all the reports of open mares....stallion rates going down, down.