This year’s bumper crop of 373 Thoroughbreds nominated to the Triple Crown series includes 15 bred in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The batch of nominees is led by 2024 champion two-year-old male Citizen Bull, who kicked off his 2025 campaign Feb. 1 with a win in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

Citizen Bull has 60 Kentucky Derby points to lead all horses.

Among the Midlantic-breds nominated, three have amassed Derby points to date, while five others have stakes wins but no Derby points. Those with Derby points include:

• Omaha Omaha (VA), the late-running son of Audible who finished second in the Jerome and third in the Withers and has 11 points for trainer Michael Gorham and owners On Your Left Racing.
• Withers runner-up Surfside Moon (PA), who has 10 points because of that outing for trainer Chuckie Lawrence and owners Manor Stable LLC and Mair Lee Stables.
• Studlydoright (MD), a two-time stakes winner who has four points courtesy of fourth-place finishes in the Jerome and the Remsen for trainer Jerry Robb and owner Mens Grille Racing.

Stakes winners without Derby points include Pennsylvania Nursery winner Crab Daddy, multiple stakes winner It’s Hammertime, that runner’s stablemate Sacred Thunder, West Virginia-bred Pascaline, and Maryland Juvenile winner Tony Eclipse.

All horses on this list were nominated via the payment of $600 by Jan. 27. This year’s total number of nominees represents a 7.8% increase over last year, driven primarily by a record 69 Japan-based horses, up from 47 a year ago.

The second closing date for nominating to the Triple Crown is April 7. The fee for these nominations is $6,000.

The Kentucky Derby is scheduled for May 3 at Churchill Downs, with the Preakness to follow May 17 at Pimlico. The Belmont, which will again be run at Saratoga, concludes the series June 7.