Whence Comes Count Fleets Speed?: Breeding Experts Can Not Trace It, Daily Racing Form, 1943-06-22

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Whence Comes Count Fleets Speed? Breeding Experts ]. Can Not Trace It Origin of Colts Amazing 1 Fleetness of Foot Baffles ■ Those Who Study Pedigree When Count Fleet finished third in last years Futurity, the defeat caused different tactions among his admirers. Some had actually hoped Occupation would defeat him. and their wishes were granted. But they said "thank his lucky stars, for now he has no Futurity jinx to deal with." The "Futurity jinx," as most everyone knows, was born of the fact that no Futurity winner has ever won the Kentucky Derby the following spring. What worried the Count Fleet admirers most was that the Headley filly, Askmenow, was in second place. But their fears were of short duration, for in the weeks to follow, the Hertz colt performed two feats which not only removed all doubt about him, but earned him to the juvenile championship of the season. One was his amazing Champagne victory in which he shattered all juvenile records by running the one mile in 1:3445, two-fifths of a second behind the American mark of 1:3425, created by Equipoise in Chicago a decade ago. Since then The Count has made a clean sweep of all the three-year-old classics run thus far this year, being victorious in the Wood, then the Kentucky Derby, Preak-ness. Withers and Belmont. He ran the mile and one-sixteenth of the Wood in 1.43. the mile and a quarter of the Derby in 2:04, the mile and three-sixteenths of the Preakness in 1:91%, over a good track, the mile of the Withers in 1:36 with a muddy track prevailing, and then in the Belmont came within three-fifths of a second of the Bolingbrokes world record for i the distance by covering the route in 2:2814. i The question "where did his amazing I | " turn of speed come from?" is heard on all j J j sides, but it is one that has no positive j answer. His ability may be in those hidden | assets that we often summarize as "heart," I i or the "will to win"; or in his conforma- j tion, or again his bloodines. It may be | that a combination of all endowed him ; with a degree of speed given to few horses ] his age. Therefore his pedigree is of interest at this time. Member of Famed Trio Count Fleet is by Reigh Count, out of Quickly, by Haste. Taking his male line, or top line, first, Reigh Count was by Sun- I leigh, out of Contessina, by Count Schom-berg. He was foaled at the Court Manor Btad of the late Willis Sharpe Kilmer, who had transferred his thoroughbred operations from Sun Briar Court, Binghamton, N. Y., in 1925. As matters turned out, Court Manor was to see a superb trio of foals in that season, for in the same crop were Sun Beau and Sun Edwin. "Uncle Henry" McDaniel was training the Kilmer string at that time. In his i first three races Reigh Count showed little. In the fourth start he ran second, but it ; was not until August 29, 1927, that he j broke his maiden. Shortly after that, he was sold privately to Mrs. John Hertz, and that is often said to be the only mistake Willis Sharpe Kilmer ever made in a horse. From that time on, the fame of Reigh Count was on the wing. At three, he won the Kentucky Derby, Lawrence Realization, Saratoga Gold Cup and Jockey Club Gold Cup. Shipped to England, he was accompanied by his trainer, Bert Michell, and his jockey, Chick Lang. He was nowhere in his first three starts, so John Hertz decided to change to an English jockey. Joe Childs was engaged, one of the best riders in England, who rode for King George V. In his next start, the Coronation Cup. Childs piloted Reigh Count to a splendid victory over Athford. Count Fleet Speediest Son Two weeks later he started in the Ascot Gold Cup, but, as Childs had a mount in the race, the Hertz contingent engaged the services of Harry Wragg. Reigh Count was beaten two lengths by Invershin, but after the race many Englishmen voiced the opinion that the American horse would have been the winner had he been ridden by Childs. An offer of 0,000 was made for a match race between Invershin and Reigh Count at Arlington Park, but it never materialized. The Ascot Gold Cup was Reigh Counts Jast start. He returned to this country, a winner of 80,795, and was retired to his owner "s Leona Stock Farm, a show price at Cary, 111. His first crop of foais appeared in 1933, so he has had 10 crops to date. He has sired about 100 winners, but none were to display any such speed as that of Count Fleet. Before he was to arrive, however Reigh Count had been sent to the Claiborne Stud of Arthur B. Hancock in Kentucky and then to Stoner Creek Farm, acquired some three years ago by Mr. and Mrs. Hertz. Reigh Count was one of the best stayers of the past quarter century. He was by " I | j J j j | I i j | ; ] I i ; j Sunreigh, who raced only as a two-year- old and was unable to win. A full brother to Sun Briar, Sunreigh s opportunities in stud were few and far between. In fact, he had 14 foals in all, the best of which, by far, was Reigh Count. He also sired Reigh Nun, a stake winner and dam of Ned Reigh, winner of the Walden and who contracted shipping fever en route to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Sundridge Fast Horse Count Fleets sire, Reigh Count, was a brilliant stayer and he, in turn, is by Sunreigh, a horse who could not win in 11 starts and who got little chance in stud, as he was a studmate of his own brother, Sun Briar, a fine racer and sire. Both were by Sundridge, a chestnut horse. 1898, by Am-phion-r-Sierra, by Springfield. Following tne example of his maternal grandslre. Springfield, he cracked his pelvis and was in slings for some 12 weeks. Consequently, he started but once as a two-year-old and was unplaced. As a three- and four-year-old, he was good, but by no means sensational. As a five- and six-year-old he was a horse of extreme speed. In fact, Charles Morton later stated that he was probably the fastest horse in England at five or six furlongs. He was sire of Sunstar and Sunder in England, and the best of his sons in France was Sun Briar, who was to become the foundation sire of the Willis Sharpe Kilmer breeding activities in this country. The "Sundridge line" is regarded as a speed line and Sun Briar, who is credited with a mile unofficial in 1:34 flat, is but one American example of that terrific speed. And, though Reigh Count is best remembered as a great stayer, his son, Count Fleet certainly upholds the traditions of the clan. Count Fleet is thus traced back to Sundridge in the top or male line, but, to continue, Sundridge s sire was Amphion, a chestnut horse by Ro6ebery. out of Suicide, by Hermit. Amphion was a good racer, winning 14 of his 24 starts, but his sire. Rosebery, was also good, being the first horse in history to win the double of the Cambridgeshire and Cesarewitch — something of a feat. For, one was at two and one-quarter miles and the other at one and one-eighth miles. There was both speed and staying power. Continued on Page Thirty-One I j j I i Breeding Experts Unable To Trace Counts Speed Origin of Colts Celerity Baffles Those Who Study Pedigrees Continued from Page Two His sire, Speculum, also was another fine winner of 13 races, including the City and Suburban Handicap and the Goodwood and Brighton Cups. One could go on back through Vedette and other male line ancestors of Count Fleet, but this is enough to establish the fact that he came of a stout male line that is distinguished for some outstanding sprinters and stayers. Count Fleets female line is hardly as brilliant as his male ancestry. His dam, Quickly, a daughter of Haste, was bred by Joseph E. Widener and foaled at his El-mendorf Farm in 1930. She is out of Stephanie, by Stefan the Great, out of Malachite, by Rock Sand, out of Miss Hanover, by Hanover. Her sire, Haste, was by Maintenon, out of Miss Malaprop, by Meddler; next dam, Correction, a sister to Domino and the dam of Yankee. Haste was a good race horse, winning the Grand Union Hotel Stakes, Saratoga Special and Withers. In stud, he sired the Belmont winner, Hurry Off, and Rushaway, who performed the unique feat of winning two Derbys in two days. Trained Sire and Dam Strangely, "Uncle Henry" McDaniel. who first trained Reigh Count for Willis Sharpe Kilmer, also trained Quickly. In 1932, he saddled the daughter of Haste to win two of her four starts. Early the following year, she was sold, with two others from the Widener string, to Frank A. Carreaud for ,500. Carreaud started her but once at Hialeah Park and she was claimed by J. E. Smallman for ,500. In 1937, Hirsch Jacobs claimed her for W. N. Adrian for ,000. It was shortly after that, when John Hertz, who sought a daughter of Haste, secured her for ,500. In all, she won 32 races and 1,500 before retirement to the Hertz farm. In 1938, she produced the filly, Reigh Grey, was barren in 1939 and in 1940 dropped Count Fleet, who was to bring her the fame she now enjoys. Stephanie, the dam of Quickly, was a daughter of Stefan the Great, whose mares are prized on the other side. In all, she produced six foals and among them the good trio of Crout au Pot, by Pot au Feu: Great Haste and the stake winner, Silver Spear, by Sickle. Stephanies dam was Malachite, who, bred by the late August Belmont, was by Rock Sand, out of Miss Hanover, by Hanover. Malachite was purchased by Joseph E. Widener at the Nursery Stud dispersal in 1925 at a cost of 0,000. With Sam Hildreth as trainer, she won four races as a two-year-old and six at three, including the Alabama Stakes. Malachites dam, Miss Hanover, was purchased by August Belmont and during her career produced the Kentucky Derby winner, Worth, and other good winners. Miss Hanovers sire, Hanover, was one of the best race horses this country ever saw and his name is another brilliant link in the pedigree of Count Fleet.


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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800