Six Maryland-bred horses are among the 347 thoroughbred nominees competing for spots in horse racing’s Triple Crown, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
The local group is headlined by Monday Morning Qb, who last week traveled to New York for the Grade III Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. After a bobbled start, the dark bay colt rallied to join the rest of the pack and made a late bid for the lead before ultimately fading and finishing in fourth place.
Monday Morning Qb got one point on the leaderboard for the Kentucky Derby and is number 40 in line to make the starting gate of the 20-horse field; more points can be accrued at select prep races between now and April.
In three previous starts, Monday Morning Qb has two wins, including the Heft Stakes at Laurel Park, and one second place.
Another intriguing candidate is Laddie Liam, who did not finish out of the money in five starts during his two-year-old campaign in 2019. The bay colt rounded into form in his last two starts, both wins, including the Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel Park. He cruised to victory in that contest, winning by 4 1/2 lengths.
Ournationonparade is the only other stakes-winner in the group, finishing first in the Maryland Million Nursery Stakes last October by 3 3/4 lengths. The gelding has a second place finish in his only other start.
Rounding out the list are Double Crown (one win in one start), Mine Not Mine (one win in two starts) and Prodigious Bay (one third place finish in one start).
Among local trainers, H. Graham Motion has three nominees, Michael Trombetta has two and Jeremiah O’Dwyer has two.
If the field were drawn up today, O’Dwyer and Trombetta would have a Derby starters. Shotski, trained by O’Dwyer, is ranked fourth in Kentucky Derby points after winning the Remsen Stakes as a 2 year old in 2019 and finishing second in the Withers.
Trombetta’s mount, Independence Hall, is a perfect three-for-three in his young career, highlighted by wins in the Grade III Nashua Stakes as a 2 year old and the Jerome Stakes as a 3 year old. He ranks 11th in Derby points.
Independence Hall is scheduled to start in the next race with qualifying points, Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, as the 6-5 favorite.
Last year Trombetta saddled Win Win Win in the Derby and Preakness. He ultimately finished ninth and seventh, respectively.
And Sagamore Farm, the local barn owned by Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, has nominated two horses, Necker Island and South Bend.
The first round of nominations closed on Jan. 25. Each entry cost $600. A second round of nominations ends on March 30, but with an increased fee of $6,000.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, the early list of Triple Crown nominees is down 15 from last year and the lowest total since 1995, when only 317 horses were nominated.
This story has been updated.
The last Maryland bred to win the Preakness was Deputed Testimony in 1983. To have another win in the year that Pimlico turns 150 would be fabulous!