Triple Crown noms include 10 bred in Mid-Atlantic

Ournationonparade won the Maryland Million Nursery. Photo by Laurie Asseo. 

The 347 Triple Crown nominees whose names were announced earlier this week include 10 bred in the Midlantic.

That total of 347 three-year-olds was down from 362 a year ago. The list includes Eclipse champion two-year-old colt Storm the Court and a roster of others ranging from Airstream to Zimba Warrior.

Those bred in the Mid-Atlantic include six Maryland-breds, three horses bred in Virginia, and one bred in Pennsylvania.

Of those, three are stakes winners. That list includes Monday Morning Qb; the Butch Reid trainee won the Heft Stakes at Laurel Park and then was fourth in the Grade 3 Withers.

Also on the list are a pair of horses who won Maryland-restricted stakes. Laddie Liam, then trained by Hugh McMahon, won the Maryland Juvenile Futurity in December at Laurel, while Ournationonparade, then trained by Bernie Houghton, took the Maryland Million Nursery in October.

Laddie Liam, owned by Joe Besecker when he won the Juvenile Futurity, subsequently was sold at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale for a hefty $450,000. New owners D J Stable have him training at Belmont Park.

Ournationonparade headed to Gulfstream Park following his Maryland Million victory and has posted four works over that strip since the beginning of 2020.

Six of the 10 Midlantic nominees were sired by regional sires. That includes two sons of exciting young sire Golden Lad (Laddie Liam and Mine Not Mine), as well as sons of Bourbon Courage, Imagining, Cal Nation, and Smarty Jones.

More nationally known sires represented include Uncle Mo, Pioneerof the Nile, Hard Spun, and Bayern. Four of the nominees are still maidens, while only two — Laddie Liam and Monday Morning Qb — have won more than one race.

Laddie Liam topped the mixed sale with a winning bid of $450,000. Photo by The Racing Biz.

Laddie Liam won the Md. Juvenile Futurity. Photo by Laurie Asseo.

Monday Morning Qb won the Heft Stakes. Photo by The Racing Biz.

Mine Not Mine at the FT Midlantic mixed sale. Photo by The Racing Biz.

Ournationonparade won the Maryland Million Nursery. Photo by Laurie Asseo.

Ournationonparade and jockey Inoel Beato are greeted by trainer Bernie Houghton after winning the Md. Million Nursery. Photo by Dottie Miller for The Racing Biz.

MIDLANTIC-BRED TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEES

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