A record 446 3-year-old Thoroughbreds have been nominated for the 2003 Kentucky Derby and the Visa Triple Crown.

The previous record for Derby and Visa Triple Crown nominees was 440, which was established in 2001. This year's total marked the third consecutive year in which the total at the first nomination deadline topped 400.

The 446 horses on the list are now eligible for the three-race series that includes the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness (GI) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. on May 17, and the Belmont Stakes (GI) at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. on June 7. Additional fees to enter and start are required for each race. The "early" nomination stage required the payment of a $600 fee that was due by Jan. 18.

Owners have two more opportunities to make their horses eligible to run in the Visa Triple Crown races. There is a March 29 deadline for late nominations for the three-race series, which requires a fee of $6,000. A horse may also be made a supplemental entry to the Visa Triple Crown for a fee of $150,000 when entries are taken for the Kentucky Derby or for smaller amounts before the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Highlights of the early nominations list include:

Each race in the Visa Triple Crown carries a purse of $1 million. A horse that sweeps all three races in the Visa Triple Crown Challenge will receive a bonus of $5 million.

West -- Last year's Kentucky Derby saw The Thoroughbred Corporation, trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza in the winner's circle after a front-running upset victory by War Emblem.

The same group was in the winner's circle at Santa Anita following a dominant victory by Kafwain in Saturday's $150,000 San Vicente (GII) at Santa Anita. The son of Cherokee Run won the seven furlong race by 4 1/2-lengths in a performance so dazzling that the thought of a possible return trip to the Kentucky Derby winner's circle by those same connections seemed a very achievable goal.

Baffert launched Kafwain's road to Churchill Downs in a race won in 1997 by Silver Charm, who went on to give Baffert his first Kentucky Derby victory later that spring. He completed seven furlongs over a "fast" track in 1:21.12 -- narrowly missing the record of 1:21.07 set by Silver Charm in his San Vicente victory.

"Kafwain is a big, heavy horse like Silver Charm," Baffert said. "He reminds me of Silver Charm, training him. Usually you have to nudge on him to get him going, but today he just did it on his own, and he's been working that way, so that's really encouraging."

Baffert altered the blinkers worn by Kafwain in the San Vicente and the move seemed to improve the colt's concentration. Espinoza noticed a difference.

"Every time he ran before, he would wait for the others," he said. "Not today. I hope that continues."

Sum Trick was second and Southern Image finished third.

Friday's $75,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita will apparently attract some highly-regarded but inexperienced horses on the Kentucky Derby Trail.

Listed among the likely starters for the 1 1/8-mile race are the Bobby Frankel-trained Empire Maker; impressive maiden winner Ten Most Wanted; and Truckle Feature and Spensive, a pair of stakes-placed horses from Bob Baffert's powerhouse barn.

Robledo owned by Push Push Stable and trained by Vladimir Cerin, won by less than a length and completed 1 1/16-miles under jockey David Flores in 1:41.74. Cerin said his colt lost all chance in the Santa Catalina at the start and credited jockey Julie Krone for her work in keeping that day from being even worse.

"(Third-place finisher) Scrimshaw made a left turn out of the gate and just destroyed my horse," he said. "It was only through Julie's presence of mind that she saved him and didn't persevere with him that we were able to run (Saturday), so I'm grateful to her for having taken care of my horse."

A Team Valor press release said trainer Wesley Ward retained a 25 percent share in colt by hot young sire Elusive Quality. Omega Code is a member of that sire's first crop, which included six stakes winners in 2002. Team Valor will manage the colt's racing career and he will stand at stud at Margaux Farm.

"The reason this horse has appeal to us is that he is potentially a Breeders' Cup Sprint or Mile winner," said Irwin in the release. "The reason he appeals to a farm like Margaux is that he appears to be the best runner yet by a sire who is as hot as any sire in the Bluegrass."

Omega Code will make his first start for his new owners in the one-mile San Rafael (GII) at Santa Anita on March 1.

Europe -- It appears that Michael Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier's Hold That Tiger, third after a troubled start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI), will be pointed toward England's Vodaphone Epsom Derby rather than the Kentucky Derby.

Tabor told England's Racing Channel on Friday that a trip to Kentucky was unlikely, although not out of the question. The Epsom Derby is set for June 7, while the Kentucky Derby will be run on May 3.

"After the Breeders' Cup Juvenile we were very hopeful Hold that Tiger would be a Kentucky Derby horse but, having thought about it, I think probably his goal will be Epsom. We are leaning that way," Tabor said. "Obviously you have to keep an open mind, but I would advise ante-post punters to hold fire on backing Hold That Tiger for Kentucky."

Hold That Tiger is one of nine Kentucky Derby nominees trained by Ireland's Aidan O'Brien.

Southeast -- There may be more important Kentucky Derby preps than an allowance race last Friday at Gulfstream Park, but none will be more exciting than the dead-heat between Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) runner-up Ten Cents A Shine and the unbeaten Senor Swinger.

The two colts were inseparable at the end of 1 1/16-miles, while the Ken McPeek trained Ten Cents A Shine and jockey Jerry Bailey getting up in the last jump to finish on even terms with the Mickey Goldfine-trained Senor Swinger, who was ridden by Edgar Prado. Both trainers were happy with the efforts by their colts and each lists the Florida Derby (GI) on March 15 as the season's first major objective.

"He's a big horse and we still have a lot of fitness to get into him," McPeek said of the Ohio-bred Ten Cents A Shine. "It was a powerful race."

Goldfine said Senor Swinger, whose only previous race had been a maiden victory at Hawthorne in December, would skip the Feb. 15 Fountain of Youth (GI), Gulfstream's next major Kentucky Derby prep.

"It's too much too soon," he said. "Our immediate goal this winter will be the Florida Derby with the ultimate goal being the Kentucky Derby. We think he has the ability to run in both races and we don't want to rush him."

The two colts completed the distance in 1:44.06 on a "fast" track.

Another Kentucky Derby hopeful in McPeek's barn, Stronach Stable's Powerful Touch, will miss the Fountain of Youth after he suffered a bruised hoof in his narrow loss to Offlee Wild in the Holy Bull (GIII).

McPeek said the son of Touch Gold had lost between "a week and 10 days of training" and would not be ready for the Fountain of Youth. The colt continues to be pointed toward the Florida Derby.

Midwest -- Lloyd Madison Farm LLC's Champali, named in honor of Louisville-born three-time Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali, scored an easy knockout over his rivals in Saturday's $50,000 WEBN Stakes at Turfway Park.

The Greg Foley-trained son of Glitterman easily took the lead on the turn for home and rolled to an authoritative 2 3/4-length win over Chicken Soup Kid and Honeagle. Jockey Jason Lumpkins was in the saddle as Champali won for the fifth time in six races and scored his third stakes victory. His only loss was a solid fifth-place finish behind Soto in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) in November at Churchill Downs.

"He felt very comfortable," said Lumpkins. "He could have gone a lot faster and still won, but there was no need. I don't think he'll have any problems as the races get longer."

Trained by Greg Foley, a native Kentuckian based at Churchill Downs who has never started a horse in the Kentucky Derby, Champali's Derby campaign is following the same lines as the paths taken last year by Request For Parole and Perfect Drift, the 1-2 finishers in the 2002 WEBN Stakes. Request For Parole went on to defeat his rival in the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway before Perfect Drift turned the tables in the Lane's End Spiral Stakes (GII), Turfway's major prep for the Derby. Both horses ran well in the Kentucky Derby, where Perfect Drift finished third and Request For Parole was fifth.

Foley said the March 1 Battaglia would be Champali's next start after his impressive run in the WEBN.

"He's done everything we've asked of him so far," said Foley. "He seemed to do it pretty easily. Jason did a good job of getting him to relax."

Champali will likely see Chicken Soup Kid again in the Battaglia. He overcame a poor start to rally from last along the rail to gain the runner-up spot.

Trainer Ronny Werner said that Most Feared, who had finished a disappointing 10th in the Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds on Jan. 25, had suffered a stress fracture in his right front leg. He said surgery is not required but the colt would miss at least 60 days of training.

The fracture was detected in a bone scan performed on Friday.

East -- The star of Aqueduct's 3-year-old division, Star Track Farm's unbeaten Grey Comet, continues to train well as he makes his way through the New York series of Kentucky Derby preps.

The son of Distinctive Pro, a three-time stakes winner in his four career starts, breezed six furlongs Saturday over Aqueduct's "fast" inner track in 1:16.40. Trainer Gary Contessa is pointing the grey colt toward a run in the 1 1/16-mile Whirlaway on Feb. 8.

Grey Comet scored an easy victory in the Count Fleet Stakes in his most recent outing.

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