As the native-bred three-year-old campaign leading up to the Triple Crown series of races unfolds, a number of horses have shown potential, indicating that this year’s Classic season will be quite competitive.

So far this season, 15 races have been staged for three-year-old maiden horses, with 97 horses altogether entering the starting gates, resulting in an average of only 6.4 competitors per race.

This decrease in entries highlights two pressing issues: a scarcity of contenders in the 2024 three-year-old cohort, which raises red flags for industry stakeholders, and trainers’ possible cautious approach in giving their young prospects time to mature before challenging them in competitive races.

These 15 winners are Playfair (January 1 – 4 furlongs in 48.0); Allegiance (January 6 – 7 furlongs in 1:30.0); Lord Caesar (January 13 – 5 ½ furlongs in 1:09.4);
Lady Lauren (January 20 – 6 furlongs in 1:16.2); First Grandson (January 21 – 5 furlongs straight in 1:03.0); Blu Sensation (January 27 – 7 ½ furlongs in 1:37.1);
Crown Caser (January 28 – 6 ½ furlong in 1:21.3); Speed On Wheels (February 3 – 5 furlongs straight in 1:02.3); Teflon Don (February 10 – 5 furlongs straight in 1:01.2); Amma (February 14 – 7 furlongs in 1:28.1); King’s Crown (February 17 – 5 furlongs round in 1:03.4); Don’t Tell Lou Lou (February 24 – 6 ½ furlongs in 1:25.2); Nerissa’s Angel (February 25 – 5 ½ furlongs in 1:00.0); Firecracker (February 25 – 5 ½ furlongs in 1:10.2); and J Spieth (March 2 – 7 ½ furlongs in 1:37.4)

In addition to the maiden races, there were three races for three-year-olds who had not won two events. Each of these has been dominated by foreign-bred entries, with
Funcaandun,
She’s Godgift, and
Amazing Force winning.

Digital One, a foreign three-year-old, won three races as a two-year-old and advanced to the Overnight Allowance category. It is clear that only one locally bred three-year-old horse has won twice in 2024:
Interestntimesahead, the winner of the one-mile Jamaica Two Year Old Stakes. Notably, the top juvenile of 2023 has yet to participate in 2024.

Run Julie Run and Fastnfuriouslinks, who finished second and third, respectively, in the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, returned in 2024 to mixed results.
Run Julie Run finished third behind Amazing Force and Comehometome. In contrast, Fastnfuriouslinks performed poorly, finishing far behind the leaders in the same same race.

Looking ahead, the spotlight is on four three-year-old thoroughbreds who have made an impression.

Crown Chaser, trained by Anthony Nunes, was a winner on debut on January 28. The Bern Identity -Salty Talk offspring has shown promise in morning workouts, suggesting an aptitude for longer distances.

Teflon Don, trained by Jason DaCosta and sired by Casual Trick out of The Lady Scored, seems poised for success at distances up to a mile and is expected to be a strong competitor in pre-Classic races like the Sir Howard Stakes (six furlongs), the Prince Consort Stakes (seven furlongs), and The Kingston (seven and a half furlongs).

Ian Parsard’s trainee Amma vaulted into Classic contention with a commanding victory over seven furlongs on February 14 on her second outing.
Amma’s win positions her as a frontrunner in the fillies’ Classic races.

Patrick Lynch’s J Spieth, offspring of Spieth and Alice and Trixie, convincingly outperformed rivals on March 2 over 7 ½ furlongs. Despite a less than stellar time, the victory over such a distance in a debut race is noteworthy and warrants attention.

These prospective horses are joined by Interestntimesahead, Run Julie Run, Comehometome, and Fastnfuriouslinks on the 2024 Classic season watch list. With no apparent frontrunner appearing so far, the stage is set for a wild and exciting sequence of competitions. The races are wide open, and only time will tell who comes out on top.