A total of 449 3-year-olds were nominated for the 2008 Triple Crown by the January 19 deadline of the early period, down by only one from last year’s record of 450. Early nominations pay a $600 fee, and they are now all eligible for the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Although early nominations are now closed, owners can still nominate their 3-year-olds by March 26 for a $6000 fee.

Globalization in racing is evident here, with 20 foreign-trained horses, led by 7 from the barn of Irish-based Aidan O’Brien, 5 trained by Dermot Weld, and 3 by Saeed bin Suroor. Todd Pletcher tops the trainers list with 31 nominations. Nick Zito is a distant second in this category with 18 nominees, followed by 14 trained by Richard Mandella. Distorted Humor leads all sires with 13 nominees, followed by Tale of the Cat and Mineshaft with 11 each.

For the sixth straight year, trainer Todd Pletcher has the most nominated horses — 31 — although some are nominated by their owners rather than the trainer. To see the complete list of 488 nominees, go to http://www.thetriplecrownchallenge.com/nominees.aspx