Counting Stars punches ticket to Kentucky Oaks with romp in Fantasy Stakes
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Mark Casse said earlier this week that Counting Stars long has been considered one of the stable’s top prospects, and the Triple Crown nominee backed it up Friday at Oaklawn Park with an authoritative, 5 1/2-length win the Grade 2, $1 million Fantasy.
“She was impressive,” Casse said.
The race was the richest Kentucky Oaks prep in North America. It shared a card with the $250,000 Matron won by Haulin Ice. The stakes are part of the ongoing Racing Festival of the South, and jockey Francisco Arrieta swept them both Friday.
Counting Stars received 75 points toward the Oaks for her win and now ranks third on the leaderboard administered by Churchill Downs. The points distribution – which was scheduled for 100 to the winner – was reduced for each eligible placing because the field scratched down to five after the defection of Explora.
Search Party, the stablemate of Counting Stars, finished second to earn 37.5 points and land fifth on the leaderboard. It was another 9 1/2 lengths back in third to Taken by the Wind, who picked up 18.75 points and sits 12th on the leaderboard. Taken by the Wind was 6 1/2 lengths clear of fourth-place finisher Sticker Shock, who earned 11.25. Empath, who set the pace, earned 7.5.
Counting Stars ($3.80) stalked leader Empath through fractions of 24.07 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.59 for the half-mile before overtaking that one. The eventual winner started to separate herself from her rivals after six furlongs in 1:13.68 before going on to cover the 1 1/16 miles run on a fast track in 1:44.47.
“She ran well,” Casse said. “She finished good. Search Party got stopped a little bit and she finished well, so I was proud to see Counting Stars win so impressively and of course, Search Party drawing away from the rest of the field was nice. As long as they both come back good – I think they both will qualify for the Oaks – that’s where we’ll head.”
Casse said the logistics of when the horses ship to Churchill Downs are to be determined. The barn has another high-quality 3-year-old filly in French Friction, who he said remains on course for a start in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland.
Counting Stars races for West Point Thoroughbreds. She is a daughter of Honor A. P., while her female family produced the 2018 winner of the Fantasy in Sassy Sienna. Counting Stars ran second to leading Kentucky Oaks hopeful Explora in the Grade 3 Honeybee earlier this month at Oaklawn.
Oaklawn boosted the purse of the Fantasy from $750,000 to $1 million this meet and moved it back to a Friday card to showcase the Kentucky Oaks prep. In recent years, it had been run on the same card as the Arkansas Derby, which will be renewed Saturday.
Counting Stars has now won 4 of 7 starts and earned $972,606.
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