Early Nominations for 2010 Triple Crown Series Due Jan. 16

Jan 08, 2010 Gene Williams

Horsemen across the country and abroad will be looking closely at their 3-year-old Thoroughbreds during the coming days as the nomination period for the 2010 Triple Crown races gets into full swing.

The early nomination deadline is Saturday, Jan. 16 for horses to be eligible for the three-race series that includes the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.; the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.; and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Several representatives of the Triple Crown racetracks will be at a number of racing venues across the country signing up potential runners for the classics prior to the closing of the early nomination deadline.

Covering prospective nominees in South Florida will be Don Richardson, Churchill Downs Incorporated senior vice president, Racing; Ben Huffman, director of racing, racing secretary at Churchill Downs; Coley Blind, Pimlico stakes coordinator; P.J. Campo, vice president, director of racing and racing secretary for New York Racing Association. Gene Williams, representing Churchill Downs, will accept nominations in Southern California, while Jason Boulet, director of racing, racing secretary at Fair Grounds, will take nominations at his home track Sandy Montgomery of Churchill Downs will sign up horses at Oaklawn Park, and Allison DeLuca, director of racing at Tampa Bay Downs will handle nominations at that Florida track..

In addition, NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes will take nominations in New York; Georganne Hale, Pimlico racing secretary, will handle Maryland-area nominations, and horsemen can nominate on Triple Crown’s new website http://www.TheTripleCrown.com or by calling Kelly Danner at (502) 638-3825 or by fax at (502) 638-3915.

Payment of 2010 Triple Crown nomination fees can be made by check or credit card, with Visa being the preferred credit card.

A late-nomination period, with a fee $6,000 per horse, closes Saturday, March 27.

The Triple Crown, which hasn’t been claimed since Affirmed’s sweep of the three races in 1978, begins May 1 with the Kentucky Derby 136 (1 ¼ miles) at Churchill Downs, moves on to Pimlico on May 15 for the 135th Preakness (1 3/16 miles), and closes with the 142nd Belmont Stakes (1 1/2 miles) June 5 at Belmont Park.