Led by the likes of Eclipse Award winner Good Magic, fellow Eclipse finalists Bolt d’Oro and Solomini, and the unbeaten McKinzie, a total of 360 3-year-olds were announced on Thursday as early nominees to this year’s Triple Crown.

 That number is a decline from last year, when 419 were nominated at the early stage, but is similar to the 368 nominated at this stage in 2016. There were 429 nominated at the early stage in 2015. The record is 450 in 2007, which followed a huge foal crop of 37,948 in 2004. The 2015 foal crop is estimated at 22,500.

 The Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby on May 5 at Churchill Downs, Preakness at Pimlico on May 19, and Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 9. Twelve horses have swept the series, but just one since 1978, American Pharoah in 2015. In the Triple Crown races of both 2016 and 2017, a different horse won each race.

There are four fillies nominated, most notably Wonder Gadot, winner of the Demoiselle. Caledonia Road, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, is not nominated.

The nominees also include 13 horses based in Europe, most notably Mendelssohn, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. This year, for the first time, Churchill Downs has carved out a potential spot in the 20-horse Derby field for a horse based in Europe through its European Road to the Kentucky Derby series.

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