Thoroughbred Championships Series announces fees, deadlines, signaling end of traditional Triple Crown

The longstanding tradition of nominating a horse for the three-race Triple Crown series is gone. Connections interested in participating in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes may do so only by nominating to the newly formed Thoroughbred Championship Series, the initial deadline being Dec. 10.

Nominations for the Preakness, which in 2027 will be run 22 days after the Kentucky Derby, on May 23, will be taken separately. A spokesman for the Maryland Jockey Club said, “We will open nominations for the Preakness, with additional details coming very soon.”

For approximately the last 40 years, a $600 nomination fee paid by the end of January or a $6,000 late nomination fee paid in early April made a horse eligible for all three Triple Crown races.

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The TCS is a series of 10 races - six for 3-year-old males, four for 3-year-old females - that are conducted by Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association. The TCS Derby division consists of the Kentucky Derby (May 1), Belmont Stakes (June 5), Matt Winn (July 3), Jim Dandy (July 31), Travers (Aug. 28), and the TCS Championship (Sept. 25).

The TCS Oaks division consists of the Kentucky Oaks (April 30), Acorn (June 4), Coaching Club American Oaks (July 24), and Alabama (Aug. 21).

The initial deadline for nominating to the TCS Derby division is Dec. 10 for a fee of $500. Thereafter, the nominating fees go up to $7,500 if nominated between Dec. 11-March 2, and $75,000 if nominated between March 3-April 24, the latter date being when the Derby is drawn. The fee is $50,000 if nominated between April 25-May 30, and $25,000 if nominated between May 31-June 26, when a horse would be eligible only for the final four legs of the series.

The fees and deadlines for the TCS Oaks division are $500 by Dec. 10; $3,000 from Dec. 11-March 2; $25,000 from March 3-April 23, and $10,000 from April 24-May 29.

In addition to seven-figure purses for each of the six TCS Derby division races, the top eight points earners will share in a $5 million bonus pool with the winner to earn $1.5 million and the second-through-eighth-place finishers earning bonuses of $800,000 for second down to $200,000 for eighth. In order to be eligible for bonus money, a horse must participate in at least four of the six TCS races, though there are reductions in available bonuses to horses who miss the Travers and/or the Thoroughbred Championship Series race.

The top three points earners in the TCS Oaks division will earn bonuses of $500,000 for first, $300,000 for second, and $200,000 for third. To be eligible for the bonus, a filly must compete in at least three of the four Oaks division races. A Derby division race can be substituted for an Oaks division race. A filly can also earn additional bonus money by participating in the TCS Championship race against males in September.

Additionally, horses who are hoping to earn qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks may only do so if nominated to either TCS series. The qualifying points system is used for the Derby in the event the race draws more than 20 horses, which it has in 25 of the last 28 years.

The Kentucky Derby will continue to carry a purse of $5 million. There has not been an announcement of the purse for the 2027 Belmont Stakes, a race which has been worth $2 million the last three years, when it was run at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga. It is also unclear what the distance of the Belmont Stakes will be in 2027 when the race returns to Belmont Park, where it had typically been run at 1 1/2 miles. NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke last September floated the idea of keeping the Belmont at 1 1/4 miles, though a final decision has not yet been made.

It was announced Thursday that the TCS also will award $100,000 each to the leading trainers and jockeys based on points earned across both the Derby and Oaks divisions. The top three trainers and jockeys in the final standings will receive $50,000 for first place, $30,000 for second and $20,000 for third.

Complete TCS rules, including the nomination fee schedule, points structure, and prize payout information, are available at TCSnominations.com.

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