The Count Fleet Sprint Handicap is a Grade III American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

held annually in mid April. It takes place at

Oaklawn Park Race Track Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred horse race, thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races t ...

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...

. During the race, horses age four and older compete over the sprint distance of six

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s. Inaugurated in 1974, the event currently offers a purse of

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

500,000. The race is named in honor of the 1943 United States Triple Crown champion,

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 ...

. In 2020, Whitmore became the first horse to win the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap three times.

Records

Speed record: * 1:08.00 @ 6

s - Bonapaw (2001) Most wins: * 3 - Whitmore (2017, 2018, 2020) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

: * 5 - Ricardo Santana Jr. (2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019) Most wins by a trainer * 5 - Steven M. Asmussen (2013, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2023) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - Southern Springs Stables (2017, 2018, 2020) * 3- Robert V. LaPenta (2017, 2018, 2020) * 3- Head of Plains Partners LLC (2017, 2018, 2020)

Winners

References

{{reflist Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in Arkansas Open sprint category horse races Horse races established in 1974 Oaklawn Park 1974 establishments in Arkansas Grade 3 stakes races in the United States