With three different winners of the Triple Crown races and plenty of parity, the race for champion 3-year-old Eclipse Award honors is on.

The path to the top of the nation’s most watched division will involve the $1 million, Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday, the $500,000, Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes on July 27 at Saratoga Race Course, the $1.25 million, Grade 1 DraftKings Travers Stakes on Aug. 24 at Saratoga, and the $1 million, Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 21 at Parx Racing.

No one, of course, would be surprised if this wide-open contest is not decided until 3-year-olds test their mettle against older horses in the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Here is a look at the top horses and where they stand in pursuit of a coveted Eclipse Award, listed alphabetically.  

Catching Freedom: The Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby winner ran a respectable fourth in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and handled the swift two-week turnaround to take third in the Preakness Stakes. That may have come at a price. He suffered a huge setback when he could do no better than fourth in the June 22 Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown as an overwhelming favorite. He can essentially be ruled out since no races are on his schedule at this point.

Dornoch. (Alex Evers/Eclipse Sportswire)

Dornoch: This full-brother to Mage, last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, was 10^th with a heck of an excuse in the Kentucky Derby. He drew the dreaded rail at Churchill Downs and jockey Luis Saez found it impossible to work out any kind of trip from there, checking his mount hard at one point. Dornoch rebounded to prevail in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. He possesses high cruising speed and will have to be reckoned with.

Dragoon Guard: He is 3-for-3 this season and passed his first two-turn test impressively in the July 6 Indiana Derby. Trainer Brad Cox thinks this son of the late Arrogate can prove he belongs among the best in his class. When Cox talks, everyone listens.

Fierceness: The 2-year-old champ and runaway winner of the Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa at Gulfstream Park failed to show when it was most important, lagging in 15^th in the Kentucky Derby. While he has displayed brilliance, he is maddeningly inconsistent for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, alternating wins and losses throughout his six-race career.

Honor Marie: Distance is no problem, getting a good trip is. He endured an awful time in the Kentucky Derby and was fortunate to escape unscathed. The Belmont Stakes was not much better. Honor Marie is in search of a clean run in the Travers, but he is being asked to handle the 1 ¼-mile distance without the benefit of a prep.

Mindframe: He produced lopsided victories in his first two starts. He showed inexperience but also tremendous talent when he missed by just half a length to Dornoch in the Belmont Stakes, a huge ask for him. He should only improve with each start for Pletcher.

Mystik Dan. (Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire)

Mystik Dan: He has to be viewed as the leader in the division at the moment with a victory in the Kentucky Derby and a runner-up effort in the Preakness. He could do no better than eighth in the Belmont Stakes and was sent to the farm after making six starts through the first six months this year. There is no timetable for his return. Don’t expect it to be any time soon.

Seize the Grey: Like Mystik Dan, he appeared to fall victim to his third race in five weeks when he came in a lackluster seventh in the final leg of the Triple Crown. Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas acknowledged that he came up “flat” after solid victories in the Pat Day Mile Stakes presented by SAP and Preakness. Lukas is convinced Seize the Grey can follow the path of his late-blooming sire Arrogate. Hundreds of fans who invested in him through MyRacehorse sure hope so.

Sierra Leone: This $2.3 million yearling purchase clearly has abundant ability. Will he ever put it all together? He contributed to his own defeat when he lugged in during the stretch run and missed by a nose as part of a thrilling three-horse photo in the Kentucky Derby. He appeared to be compromised by a speed-favoring Saratoga track when a belated charge left him third in the Belmont. If anyone can figure out this exasperating son of Gun Runner, it’s his trainer, Chad Brown.

Stronghold: The Santa Anita Derby king faces an uphill climb. He disappointed in seventh in the Kentucky Derby and could not overtake Dragoon Guard in the Indiana Derby, finishing two-and-a-half lengths behind in second.

Tuscan Sky: He’s won three of four starts and prepped for the Haskell in ideal fashion, taking the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth. He finished a nonthreatening seventh in the April 6 Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes presented by Resorts World Casino in his only graded stakes try. He needs to step up considerably for Pletcher, but he is in the right hands.