Triple Crown News Release: 367 Horses Made Eligible for Triple Crown Series

Feb 03, 2026

A total of 367 of the world’s top 3-year-old Thoroughbreds became eligible to compete in the 2026 Triple Crown series during the early nomination phase, which closed Monday, Jan. 26.

 

This year’s early nominees span the globe and include several horses that have already made an impact on the Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, led by graded stakes winners Further Ado, Golden Tempo, Intrepido, Litmus Test, Napoleon Solo, Nearly and Paladin.

 

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher led all trainers with 31 nominees, followed by Bob Baffert (23), Chad Brown (22), Brad Cox (21) and Daisuke Takayanagi (14).

 

International representation included 37 horses from Japan, led by Godolphin’s Pyromancer (JPN), winner of the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun.

 

The 2026 Triple Crown series will begin with the 152nd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) on Saturday, May 2 at Churchill Downs. The series continues with the $2 million Preakness Stakes (GI) at 1 3/16 miles on Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park, and concludes with the $2 million Belmont Stakes (GI) at Saratoga Race Course at 1 ¼ miles on Saturday, June 6.

 

Last year, there were 373 early nominees and another five late nominations.

 

Early Triple Crown Nominees by the Numbers:

 

281 – Kentucky-bred nominees, most of any state. Others: Japan (37), New York (11), Florida (10), California (7), Pennsylvania (5), Ireland (3), Maryland (3), Virginia (3), Indiana (2), Ontario (2), Great Britain (1), Louisiana (1), Minnesota (1) and New Jersey (1).
171 bay-colored horses. Other colors: dark bay/brown (84), chestnut (68), gray/roan (42) and gray (3).
127 – Trainers with horses nominated to the Triple Crown.
55 – Stakes winners nominated. 19 graded stakes winners.
31 – Number of horses nominated from Todd Pletcher’s barn, followed by Bob Baffert (23), Chad Brown (22), Brad Cox (21) and Daisuke Takayanagi (14)
16 – Horses sired by Not This Time, the most of any stallion. Others: Gun Runner (15), Into Mischief (14), Nyquist (14), Constitution (13) and Maxfield (12).
11 – Fillies Nominated: Bella Ballerina (trainer Brendan Walsh), Belle of the Barn (Caio Caramori), Counting Stars (Mark Casse), Dancin in Old Town (Keith Desormeaux), Energy Issei (JPN) (Daisuke Takayanagi), Goldmunze (JPN) (Daisuke Takayanagi), Perfect Town (Steve Asmussen), Ten Time Top (JPN) (Daisuke Takayanagi), Tokai Ma Cherie (JPN) (Daisuke Takayanagi), Unnatamsa (JPN) (Daisuke Takayanagi) and Zany (Todd Pletcher).
Jan. 1, 2023 – Earliest foal among nominees: Star Ship (JPN).
May 24, 2023 – Latest foals among nominees: Silver Prince.
Three-year-olds not nominated during the early phase can still join the Triple Crown trail by making a late payment of $6,000 by Monday, April 6 at www.thetriplecrown.com.

 

Thirteen horses have swept the Triple Crown: 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).

 

Early Triple Crown nominees:

 

 

Unnamed

(23)Coco Vin

(23)Free Flying Soul

(23)Killer Graces

(23)La Bombalina

(23)Sibaaq

(23)True Royalty

 

A

Aces Honor

r-Acknowledgemeplz

Act of Parliament

Al Arqraah

Albus

Amberjack

American Call (JPN)

Arbiter

Arborist

Arcadia Cafe

Arctic Beast

Ardent Eye

Argent Heir

Argos

g-Army Man

Associated

Atmos (JPN)

Attfield

Authentic Patriot

Autobahn

 

B

Balboa

Banksy's

Baytown Dreamer

Bearister

Bedeviled

f-Bella Ballerina

Belle of the Barn

Best Green (JPN)

Better America

Big Cuddle

Big Tech

Bishop Booming

Bitmap

Blackout Time

Blacksmith

Boyd

Brant

Bravaro

g-Brazilian Conexao

Bricklin

r-Brigante

Buetane

Bull by the Horns

Buntus Foclora

 

C

Campobasso

Canaletto

Cannoneer

g-Captain Shreve

Carson Street

Chaos Agent

Chayton

Cherokee Nation

Chess Match

Chianti Town

Chief Wallabee

Chip Honcho

Cierto

Circle Tap

Civic Charm

Civil Liberty

Class President

Clocker Special

g-Close the Gate

g-Code of Silence

Code Review

g-Colleague

Colt Forty Seven

Come Up Roses (JPN)

Commandment

Commerce

Comport

Conducted

Confessional

Corona de Oro

f-Counting Stars

Courting

Creole Chrome

Criteria

Crossingthechannel

Crude Velocity

Crupper

Curtain Call

 

D

f-Dancin in Old Town

Danon Andre (JPN)

Danon Bourbon

Danon History (JPN)

g-Dark Omen

Day One Starter

D'code

Decisive Win

Deep Tracks

Desert Gate

Dirty Rich

Doctrine

Dolan

Donegal Rocks

Donegal Time

Dorset (IRE)

Double Entendre

Dr. Kapur

Dr. Sinatra

Dragones

Duntov

 

E

Easterly

Easy Company

Easy Decision

Easy Pick

Embry Show

Emerging Market

Emilio

Encore Again (JPN)

f-Energy Issei (JPN)

Enfield

Enforced Agenda

Englishman

Epic Desire

g-Epic Summer

Ewing

Exosome

Express Kid

 

F

Falcon Jet

g-Fancy Fairlane

Fancy Gentleman

Fifty Four Yarder

Final Story

First in Class

Flamboyant

Follow Up

Forty Twenty

g-Fourth and One

Fulleffort

Further Ado

Fuzzbuster

 

G

Game for It

Ganda (JPN)

Gaura Disco (JPN)

Geistreich (JPN)

Gene King (JPN)

General Graham

Get Them Roses

g-Ghostwritten

Gilded Bandit

Givethedevilhisdue

Global Aviator

Golden Tempo

Golden Tornado

f-Goldmunze (JPN)

Grand Slam Sam

Grant the Great

g-Great White

Greenwich Village

Grittiness

Growth Equity

Guildmaster (IRE)

 

H

Hadrian's Wall

Halogen

Hard to Borrow

Hardtoblame

Hawk

Herbs Bolt

Hermes Gang (JPN)

He's Inevitable

Hey Dey

Hickman Creek

High Go

Holding Power

Hollywood Import

Hulkamania

Hutchinson

 

I

Incredibolt

Independence Rise

Infiltrate

Into the Beast

r-Intrepido

Iron Honor

Its the Bandit

Itterasshai (JPN)

 

J

Jackson Hole

Jericho

Just the One

Just Tipsy

 

K

Keiai Agito (JPN)

r-Kelce

Khon Han

King of Heat

Kirkwood

Knock It Off

Krautrock (JPN)

Kristofferson

 

L

Leading Change

Libeccio (JPN)

Liberty National

g-Liberty Valance

Lighter

Lino Padrino

Litmus Test

g-Lockstocknpharoah

Lucky Kid (JPN)

 

M

Mac Lir (JPN)

Mach Seven

Magazzini

Mailata

Make My Day

Manawa

Mapped Flight

Marauder

Max Capacity

Max Haste

Maximus Prime

Meanstepper

Memory

Mesquite

Michael

Minorinconvenience

Mischief Ride

Mo Koko

Mojacar

Montana Jet

Moonstrocity

Mount Errigal

r-Mr. A. P.

Mr. Miracle

Municipal

My World

 

N

Napoleon Solo

Nearly

New Fund

Newton

Noble Affair

Noble Edition

Not to Worry

 

O

Obliteration

Ocelli

Omaha Front

One More Freud

Only I Can Fix It

Ottinho

Our Forefathers

Our Magical Moon

Ovechkin

Oxford Street

 

P

Paladin

Palladion (JPN)

g-Pataliputra (JPN)

Pauillac

Pavlovian

Pay the Piper

Payton's Hammer

Peace On Earth

f-Perfect Town

g-Peripoli

Plutarch

Potente

Presidential Power

g-Pretty Boy Miah

Probably Dreaming

Project Ace

g-Props

Puerto Rico (IRE)

Pyromancer (JPN)

 

Q

Quality Mischief

Quiet Power

 

R

Radar Lock

Ramblin

Rancho Santa Fe

Ready to Rumble (JPN)

Reagan's Honor

Rebel Instinct

Reclamation

g-Redland Rebels

Renegade

Resolute Will

Rio Grande

Robusta

Rock Ptarmigan (JPN)

Rockies Balboa

r-Roger That Dana

r-Royal Causeway

Royal Crescent

 

S

Sabino Canyon

Saint Lazare (JPN)

Salloom

San Giovanni

Schoolyardsuperman

Scope

Sculcos Folly

Sea Strike

Secured Freedom

Seize the Throne (JPN)

g-Sharons Beach

g-Sharons Pharoah

Sigfrid

Silent Tactic

Silver Prince

Silver Shot

Silver Syndicate

Silver Talent

Sir George

Sistema Solar (JPN)

Six Speed

Sleepingonfreedom

Smoovin Saturday

So Happy

Soldier N Diplomat

Solitude Dude

Sorrentino

Souper Caliber

Spartacus

Spirit of Royal

r-Stan Theman Musial

Star Ship (JPN)

Stark Contrast

Start the Ride

Steel

Steel Imperium

Stop the Car

Storming

Straitshootinlarry

Strategic Risk

Street Beast

Sweeping Shadow

Swift Blade

 

T

T O Kaiser (JPN)

Tagano Abandonne (JPN)

Talk to Me Jimmy

Talkin

Tariff Mindset

Tarkenton

Ted Noffey

Ten Magic Hour (JPN)

f-Ten Time Top (JPN)

Thailand

The Big Con (GB)

The Hell We Did

The Puma

Thomas

Thunder Buck

Thunderously

Time for Music

Time to Roll

Titan King

Toga Twist

f-Tokai Ma Cherie (JPN)

Touch of Fire

Treadstone

Two Out Hero

 

U

Universe

f-Unnatamsa (JPN)

 

V

Veblen

Versailles Road

Very Connected

Vivo Stavolta

 

W

Whine Country

White Tiger

Wild Cat Curlin

Wild Warrior

Winston Ave

Wonder Dean (JPN)

 

Z

f-Zany

g-Zihnal

Zimmer

 

f-Filly

g-Gelding

r-Ridgling