2025 Early Triple Crown Nominations

W/ Connections

Triple Crown Nominations By the Numbers

_____________________________

Deadlines and Cost for the 2025 Triple Crown

Deadline for early nominations to the Triple Crown:  Jan. 27, 2025. There is a brief delay between the nomination deadline and release of nominations. Last year nominations were released Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
Cost of early nomination to the Triple Crown: $600

Payments must accompany the nomination and can only be made online at  www.thetriplecrown.com, according to a Churchill Downs release. However, thetriplecrown.com says you may download, fill out and mail the nomination in this  PDF Nomination Form and you must include payment with the nomination form.

Deadline for late nominations to the Triple Crown: April 7, 2025
Cost of late nomination to the Triple Crown: $6,000

Payment must be made with the nomination.

Complete nominations terms and conditions are here.

For more information, contact these representatives at Triple Crown host tracks (information per thetriplecrown.com):

Churchill Downs
Ben Huffman at (502) 638-3820 or [email protected]; Dan Bork at (502) 638-3806 or [email protected]; Kelly Danner (502) 638-3825 or [email protected].

Pimlico

Racing Secretary Jillian Sofarelli at (800) 638-1859 or [email protected].

Belmont Park

Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrnes at (718) 641-4700 or [email protected]

Supplemental nomination fee for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes:  Refer to the terms and conditions here for more specific and official information. Before the Kentucky Derby, the cost is $200,000 for those not early- or late-nominated to the Triple Crown, to be paid at the time of entry to the Kentucky Derby. The cost of supplementing to only the Kentucky Derby is $50,000. After the running of the Kentucky Derby, the supplemental fee to nominate to the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes is $150,000 or $50,000 to nominate only to the Belmont Stakes. If a supplementary fee is refunded due to the exclusion of a horse from a race, then the nomination of such horse for any subsequent race(s) shall also be invalidated. Supplemental fees not refunded are added to the appropriate purse. Again, refer to the terms and conditions here for more specific and official information.

Fees to enter and start in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes:  In the Kentucky Derby, there is an entry fee of $25,000 and a starting fee of an additional $25,000. A minimum $500 jockey mount fee will apply to starters that finish beyond third place. For the Preakness, the cost is $15,000 to enter and another $15,000 to start. For the Belmont Stakes, the cost is $15,000 to enter and another $15,000 to start.

Maximum starters:  CDRT, in its sole and absolute discretion, may set the number of starters up to a maximum of twenty (20) and the number of horses that are also-eligible to start up to a maximum of four (4).

Purse:  The minimum purse for the Kentucky Derby is $5,000,000.

Complete terms and conditions for Triple Crown Nominations:  May be viewed here. At this post, 2024 race conditions are still shown for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

Nomination Form:  The 2025 nomination form may be viewed here.

Deadline for Stabling:  All starters and Also Eligible Horses must be stabled at Churchill Downs by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, April 26, 2025.