Count Fleet, the famous Thoroughbred
Count Fleet is one of the most celebrated horses in the history of American Thoroughbred racing. The Thoroughbred champion was born on the 24th of March 1940. The racehorse is popularly fancied for his great performance in the Triple Crown 1943.
Count Fleet died at Stoner Creek Stud farm situated in Paris on the 3rd of December 1973.
The Triple Crown champion was sired by the 1928 Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count, out of the mare called Quickly by Haste. John D. Hertz’s wife had the possession of Count Fleet from 1879 to 1961. John is renowned for the rental car company which bears
his name. He was not very interested in keeping the horse at first, but the jockey Johnny Longden was successful in convincing him not sell out the talented racehorse.
Count Fleet did not contend any successful meets in the beginning of his athletic career. He was put under the trainer of Don Cameron and was ridden by Longden, who also became the Hall of Fame inductee. The racehorse started his career when he was two years
of age. Count Fleet started gaining popularity when he contended the Champagne Stakes in which the racehorse set a track record. After winning the aforementioned meet with six lengths, Count Fleet contended the Pimlico Futurity the same racing season. He once
again succeeded in holding off some of the best racehorses in this race. The same racing season (1942), Count Fleet then took over the field at the Walden Stakes and won by thirty lengths. He had 10 wins out of the 15 starts at the end of the racing season,
and thus earned the two-year-old championship honours.
The legendary racehorse made history in American Horse Racing as a three-year-old stallion. Count Fleet did not lose a single start that he contended as a three-year-old racehorse. He went on to participate in the Wood Memorial (1943) which was going to
lead up to the Kentucky Derby (1943). However, the Thoroughbred got injured during the process. This did not keep it from contending the most significant race of the United States, the Kentucky Derby. The great racehorse won the meet by three lengths and then
proceeded to run the Preakness Stakes (1943) at Baltimore Maryland. He dominated this event by eight lengths and the victory is recorded as one of his major wins. The same racing season, Count Fleet went on to win the Withers Stakes, before he contended the
Belmont Stakes in Elmont New York. This was yet again one of the important wins of his athletic career. Count Fleet then clinched the Triple Crown by leading the runner up by a distance of 25 lengths. At the end of this racing season, Count Fleet was the most
voted nominee for the Champion Three Year Old and was also adorned with the American Horse of the Year Award.
It was discovered then that the racehorse has a leg injury. Hence, Count Fleet did contend any race at the age of four, with a career earning of $ 250,000.
Apart from the US Champion 3-year-old colt and United States Horse of the Year (1943), Count Fleet also earned the Leading sire in North America award in the year 1951. Count Fleet also added the Leading broodmare sire in North America Award (1963) to his
list of credentials.
Count Fleet made great contributions to American Horse Racing Industry, on the basis of which he was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (1961). He was then ranked #5th in the Top 100 US Racehorses of the 20th
century. Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn Park races are also named in Count Fleet’s honour.
The talented Thoroughbred won 16 races out of his 21 starts. He then retired and enjoyed being a great sire. His offspring were also great racehorses and won many of the major horse races held in America including the Kentucky Derby (Count Turf), Belmont
Stakes (Counterpoint and One Count).
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