Count Fleet started his two-year-old campaign with two losses and was originally known more for his erratic behavior than his looks or racing ability.

He died of natural causes in 1973 at the advanced age of 33 years as the longest lived Kentucky Derby winner ever.

Hertz became involved in horse racing in the 1920s and purchased eventual Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count as a two-year-old in 1927.

Reigh Count became a moderately successful sire, but his offspring were known more for stamina than speed and tended to develop late.

[2] Count Fleet was not a particularly attractive horse, called "narrow, light-waisted, and flat-muscled" by one expert and too leggy and light boned by others.

[3] John Hertz initially did not think much of Count Fleet and contemplated selling him until jockey Johnny Longden convinced him to keep the colt.

[10] Although Occupation was now considered the front-runner for the two-year-old championship, Count Fleet kept his name in consideration with a win in the Mars Purse at Aqueduct on September 15.

Going off at odds of 7:10, Count Fleet was pinched at the start, was then bumped by another horse and ran into traffic problems in the turn, but finally got free and closed strongly to win by a head.

[11] He and Occupation were next scheduled to meet in the Cowdin Stakes on September 19 but Count Fleet was scratched, presumably due to a sloppy track.

[12] Instead, he made his next start on September 24 in The Morello at Belmont Park, where he "conveyed the impression that he was out for a breeze, and merely beating the others as an incidental manner.

Occupation took the early lead but Count Fleet moved up on the outside and the two matched strides down the backstretch and into the final turn.

[23] Count Fleet made his first start of the year on April 13 in the St James Purse over a sloppy track at Aqueduct.

Going off at odds of 3:20, Count Fleet rated behind the early pace set by Bossuet, then started his move on the final turn to win by four lengths.

Count Fleet quickly entered into a duel with Blue Swords for the early lead, then was sent to the front on the first turn.

[26] After the race, the torn portion and part of the left hind hoof were removed, then the wound was packed with sulfa drugs.

Fortunately, the wound did not become infected so Count Fleet was shipped on April 19 to Churchill Downs, which had to be done so soon after the Wood Memorial due to extensive travel restrictions.

Despite this, some 60,000 people attended the race and made Count Fleet the 2-5 favorite – the shortest starting price in Derby history.

Ocean Wave, who would have been the second betting choice after winning the Blue Grass Stakes and Derby Trial, was scratched hours before the race.

After a quarter mile, Count Fleet found himself boxed by the other horses but broke free moving into the first turn.

[33] Count Fleet next entered the Withers Stakes at Belmont Park on May 22, cutting back in distance to a mile.

His time of 1:36 over a slow track was the fastest mile of the meeting, despite the fact that Count Fleet raced more than 40 feet off the rail around the turn.

[34] "Count Fleet’s sophomore year was like a skyrocket flaring across the sky to reach its climax of blinding white, then suddenly blacking out.

"We like him too well," said Hertz, "and we like racing and breeding too well, to attempt to force the training of this kind of horse and possibly start him in anything but his top condition.

"[38] With a record of six wins from six starts, Count Fleet was named the American Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old of 1943.

Another daughter, Sequence, mated with 1955 Preakness and Belmont winner Nashua to produce Gold Digger, dam of the highly influential sire Mr.

[41] After failing to stand for two days due to old age infirmities and lameness, Count Fleet died on December 3, 1973, of an apparent blood clot and was buried at Stoner Creek farm in Paris, Kentucky.