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Count Fleet
Count Fleet (March 24, 1940 – December 3, 1973) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the sixth winner of the American Triple Crown. He won the Belmont Stakes by a then record margin of twenty-five lengths. After an undefeated season, he was named the 1943 Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old. Also a champion at age two, he is ranked as one of the greatest American racehorses of the twentieth century, ranking fifth on the Bloodhorse magazine's listing. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1961.
Count Fleet started his two-year-old campaign with two losses and was originally known more for his erratic behavior than his looks or racing ability. But the colt gradually improved, eventually winning 10 of 15 starts at age two, four of them in stakes company. At distances of a mile and up, he was undefeated. In the Champagne Stakes, he set a world record for a two-year-old at a distance of a mile. He was named champion two-year-old and became the early favorite to win the Kentucky Derby.
As a three-year-old, Count Fleet dominated North American racing, never losing a race. Leading up to the Kentucky Derby, he won the important Wood Memorial but injured himself in the process. He recovered to take the Derby, the United States' most prestigious race, by three lengths, then went on to Baltimore, Maryland, where he dominated the Preakness Stakes, taking that one by eight lengths. He won the Withers Stakes before heading to Elmont, New York for the Belmont Stakes where he captured the Triple Crown by scoring a 25-length victory, a margin that stood as the record until surpassed by Secretariat in 1973. When the season ended, Count Fleet was voted Champion Three Year Old and named American Horse of the Year.
Count Fleet was also a great success as a sire and broodmare sire, leading the North American lists in 1951 and 1963 respectively. He sired Kentucky Derby winner Count Turf and Belmont Stakes winners Counterpoint and One Count. He was the broodmare sire of five-time Horse of the Year Kelso, and sired the second dam of the influential sire Mr. Prospector. He died of natural causes in 1973 at the advanced age of 33 years as the longest lived Kentucky Derby winner ever.
Count Fleet was foaled at Stoner Creek Stud farm in Paris, Kentucky in 1940. He was bred and owned by Fannie Hertz, the wife of John D. Hertz of rental car company fame. Hertz became involved in horse racing in the 1920s and purchased eventual Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count as a two-year-old in 1927. Reigh Count became a moderately successful sire, but his offspring were known more for stamina than speed and tended to develop late. Rather than pension the now unpopular stallion, Hertz decided to breed Reigh Count to only four mares a year, focusing on speed-oriented mares to balance the stamina influence of Reigh Count. One of these mares was the aptly named Quickly (by Haste), who had won 32 races from 85 starts, all of them at distances of six furlongs or less. Quickly's first foal with Reigh Count, a filly named Reigh Fleet, was unplaced in seven starts. Quickly was barren the next year, then produced Count Fleet in 1940.
Count Fleet was not a particularly attractive horse, called "narrow, light-waisted, and flat-muscled" by one expert and too leggy and light boned by others. He also had an unruly temperament. John Hertz initially did not think much of Count Fleet and contemplated selling him until jockey Johnny Longden convinced him to keep the colt. Count Fleet was trained by Don Cameron and ridden by future Hall of Fame inductee Longden.
As a two-year-old Count Fleet started off slowly, finishing second in his first two starts while racing erratically. On June 19, 1942, though, he gained attention when he won a maiden race at Aqueduct Park by four lengths, despite having run out around the turn and losing many lengths to the field. On July 4, he entered the Army and Navy purse at Empire City Race Track, part of a special program of racing to benefit the war effort, and won by six lengths. He then finished second in the East View Stakes to Gold Shower, before rebounding to win the Wakefield Stakes by four lengths with Gold Shower in third.
He then traveled to Chicago where he won an allowance race on August 11 at Washington Park. On August 15, he finished second by a neck to the highly regarded Occupation in the rich Washington Park Futurity.
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Count Fleet
Count Fleet (March 24, 1940 – December 3, 1973) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the sixth winner of the American Triple Crown. He won the Belmont Stakes by a then record margin of twenty-five lengths. After an undefeated season, he was named the 1943 Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old. Also a champion at age two, he is ranked as one of the greatest American racehorses of the twentieth century, ranking fifth on the Bloodhorse magazine's listing. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1961.
Count Fleet started his two-year-old campaign with two losses and was originally known more for his erratic behavior than his looks or racing ability. But the colt gradually improved, eventually winning 10 of 15 starts at age two, four of them in stakes company. At distances of a mile and up, he was undefeated. In the Champagne Stakes, he set a world record for a two-year-old at a distance of a mile. He was named champion two-year-old and became the early favorite to win the Kentucky Derby.
As a three-year-old, Count Fleet dominated North American racing, never losing a race. Leading up to the Kentucky Derby, he won the important Wood Memorial but injured himself in the process. He recovered to take the Derby, the United States' most prestigious race, by three lengths, then went on to Baltimore, Maryland, where he dominated the Preakness Stakes, taking that one by eight lengths. He won the Withers Stakes before heading to Elmont, New York for the Belmont Stakes where he captured the Triple Crown by scoring a 25-length victory, a margin that stood as the record until surpassed by Secretariat in 1973. When the season ended, Count Fleet was voted Champion Three Year Old and named American Horse of the Year.
Count Fleet was also a great success as a sire and broodmare sire, leading the North American lists in 1951 and 1963 respectively. He sired Kentucky Derby winner Count Turf and Belmont Stakes winners Counterpoint and One Count. He was the broodmare sire of five-time Horse of the Year Kelso, and sired the second dam of the influential sire Mr. Prospector. He died of natural causes in 1973 at the advanced age of 33 years as the longest lived Kentucky Derby winner ever.
Count Fleet was foaled at Stoner Creek Stud farm in Paris, Kentucky in 1940. He was bred and owned by Fannie Hertz, the wife of John D. Hertz of rental car company fame. Hertz became involved in horse racing in the 1920s and purchased eventual Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count as a two-year-old in 1927. Reigh Count became a moderately successful sire, but his offspring were known more for stamina than speed and tended to develop late. Rather than pension the now unpopular stallion, Hertz decided to breed Reigh Count to only four mares a year, focusing on speed-oriented mares to balance the stamina influence of Reigh Count. One of these mares was the aptly named Quickly (by Haste), who had won 32 races from 85 starts, all of them at distances of six furlongs or less. Quickly's first foal with Reigh Count, a filly named Reigh Fleet, was unplaced in seven starts. Quickly was barren the next year, then produced Count Fleet in 1940.
Count Fleet was not a particularly attractive horse, called "narrow, light-waisted, and flat-muscled" by one expert and too leggy and light boned by others. He also had an unruly temperament. John Hertz initially did not think much of Count Fleet and contemplated selling him until jockey Johnny Longden convinced him to keep the colt. Count Fleet was trained by Don Cameron and ridden by future Hall of Fame inductee Longden.
As a two-year-old Count Fleet started off slowly, finishing second in his first two starts while racing erratically. On June 19, 1942, though, he gained attention when he won a maiden race at Aqueduct Park by four lengths, despite having run out around the turn and losing many lengths to the field. On July 4, he entered the Army and Navy purse at Empire City Race Track, part of a special program of racing to benefit the war effort, and won by six lengths. He then finished second in the East View Stakes to Gold Shower, before rebounding to win the Wakefield Stakes by four lengths with Gold Shower in third.
He then traveled to Chicago where he won an allowance race on August 11 at Washington Park. On August 15, he finished second by a neck to the highly regarded Occupation in the rich Washington Park Futurity.