It’s time to put your money where your mouth is as far as the 2012 Kentucky Derby, 2012 Preakness and 2012 Belmont Stakes.  The 2012 Triple Crown early nominations close Saturday, January 23.  Horse racing owners and trainers who wish to make their promising 3-year-old thoroughbreds eligible to compete in the 2012 Triple Crown series of classic  American races have only a few days remaining to nominate them.   Now is the time to complete the nomination forms for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.  The 138th running of the $2 million guaranteed Kentucky Derby run at 1 ¼ miles at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. will be held on Saturday, May 5. The 137th running of the $1 million Preakness will be run at 1 3/16 miles on Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. on Saturday, May 19. The 144th running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes at 1 ½ miles at New York’s Belmont Park will be run on Saturday, June 9.

In order to take advantage of the $600.00 per horse early nomination fee for all three Triple Crown races, nominations must be made by traditional mail with a  postmark prior to January 21 date.  Triple Crown early nominations can also be made online at www.TheTripleCrown.com , or via telephone with a designated representative from one of the three Triple Crown host tracks.  Online and telephone nominations must be made prior to the 11:59 p.m. deadline on Saturday ( Eastern time).

Triple Crown nomination contacts at the host tracks are: Churchill Downs: Senior Vice President of Racing Don Richardson (DonnieR@KyDerby.com) and Racing Secretary
Ben Huffman (BenH@KyDerby.com). The telephone number for nominations at Churchill Downs Racing is (502) 638-3825 and its fax number is (502) 638-3915; Pimlico: Racing Secretary/Director of Racing Georgeanne Hale (GHale@MarylandRacing.com) and Stakes Coordinator Coley Blind (CBlind@MarylandRacing.com); Belmont Park: Vice President and Director of Racing P.J. Campo (PCampo@NYRAInc.com).

Starting Wednesday, representatives of the Triple Crown host tracks will be on-site at racetracks in Florida, California, Louisiana and Arkansas to accept nominations.

A late nomination period requires payment of a $6,000 nomination fee opens at 12 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22 and will run through Saturday, March 24 (all times Eastern). The Kentucky Derby field has been limited to 20 starters since 1975, and accumulated earnings in graded stakes races along along the  the “Road to the Triple Crown” have determined the field for the race since 1986. The field for the Preakness is limited to 14 starters, while the Belmont Stakes permits a maximum field of 16 horses.  The Kentucky Derby and the Preakness will have also eligible horses this  year – see our blogs for more information at  https://kentuckyderbytours.com/blog/  on  December 28 and December 31.

All three 2012 Triple Crown races will be  televised live by NBC Sports and radio coverage of all three races will be  provided by the Horse Racing Radio Network.