Bodog Beat

Stardom Bound has had an oustanding record so far and could be a Triple Crown contender this year. (AP Images)

The 2009 Triple Crown is shaping up to have a competitive group of three-year-olds by the time May 2 rolls around in Kentucky. It's a bit early to count on any horse at this point in time; much can change over the next four months. The early Triple Crown nominations will close on January 24 and late nominations close March 28.

The frontrunners right now are the John Ward trained Beethoven (3-0-1 in five starts), Midshipman (3-1-0 in four starts) who earned over $1.3M, the Doug O'Neill trained Square Eddie (2-2-1 in six starts), and the Bobby Frankel trained Stardom Bound (3-2-0 in five starts), who has earned $1.4M.

Some of these horses may not be as good as a three-year-old, and some other three-year-olds are sure to improve and force their way into the Triple Crown contender picture. Online future wagers should start as early as next month.