The deadline to nominate your horses to the 2002 running of the Claiming Crown is fast approaching. This year's Claiming Crown is scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 31, at Philadelphia Park, and it has an initial nomination deadline of Tuesday, May 14.

Regular nominations (with the horse named) received on or before May 14 are $100 per horse, while Open nominations (no horse has to be named until June 28) on or before May 14 are $250 per nomination. Regular nominations will continue to be accepted from May 15 through June 28, but at an escalated price of $500 per horse.

This year's Claiming Crown will offer $550,000 in guaranteed purses to qualifying horses over six races for various different levels of claiming horses. It is the fourth renewal of the prestigious event that puts claiming horses on center stage, and it is the first time it will be held at Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

To nominate by phone, please call any of the following numbers by June 15th:

Philadelphia Park 800-523-6886

TOBA: 888-606-8622

Nat Wess: 800-340-6361, Extension 6411.