Count Fleet (KY)

Biography

America’s sixth Triple Crown winner, Count Fleet was a son of 1928 Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count out of the Haste mare Quickly.

Count Fleet was bred and owned by Fannie Hertz, wife of John D. Hertz, best known for the rental car company that bears his name. John Hertz initially wanted to sell Count Fleet, but Hall of Fame jockey Johnny Longden convinced him to keep the colt.

Ridden by Longden and trained by Don Cameron, Count Fleet set a track record in his six-length victory as a 2-year-old in the 1942 Champagne Stakes and followed that effort by equaling a track record in the Pimlico Futurity. He also won the Walden Stakes that year by 30 lengths and was given the highest impost ever, 132 pounds, on the Experimental Free Handicap. Count Fleet finished his juvenile season with a record of 10-4-1 in 15 starts and earnings of $76,245.

As a 3-year-old in 1943, Count Fleet won an allowance race and the Wood Memorial before taking the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont. He won the Derby by three lengths, the Preakness by eight, and added a five-length victory in the Withers before crushing the Belmont field by 25 lengths. He won all six of his races that year and compiled seasonal earnings of $174,055 to be an overwhelming choice for Horse of the Year.

Count Fleet was retired to stud with a record of 16-4-1 from 21 starts and earnings of $250,300. He was America’s leading sire in 1951 and produced a total of 38 stakes winners, including Kentucky Derby winner Count Turf and Belmont winners Counterpoint and One Count. Count Fleet died Dec. 3, 1973, at the age of 27 at Stoner Creek Farm in Kentucky. 

Achievements

Champion 2-Year-Old Colt — 1942
Horse of the Year — 1943
Champion 3-Year-Old Colt — 1943

Triple Crown Highlights

Won the Kentucky Derby — 1943
Won the Preakness Stakes — 1943
Won the Belmont Stakes — 1943