Counting Stars

Counting Stars, an Honor A. P. filly, won her debut sprinting 6 ½ furlongs by four lengths Sept. 25, 2025, at Churchill Downs. She then finished fifth in her stakes debut at Keeneland in October but improved to impressively win two more stakes races to close out her juvenile season, the Astral Spa Overnight Stakes at six furlongs and the one-mile Year’s End Stakes, both at Oaklawn Park.

The bay filly stayed in Arkansas over the winter with trainer Mark Casse and came back in the 1 1/16-mile Martha Washington Stakes Feb. 6, where she was the 3-5 favorite. Counting Stars was eased in the race and finished last of eight, but then rebounded to finish second by three-quarters of a length to favorite Explora in the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee Stakes March 1 at Oaklawn.

Counting Stars made her final start of the Oaklawn meet in the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy Stakes March 27, a race Explora was withdrawn from. With regular jockey Francisco Arrieta in the saddle, the filly took over entering the far turn and drew clear of the field to win going away by 5 ½ lengths. She earned 75 qualifying points for the Longines Kentucky Oaks with the victory, and proved she belonged in a very competitive editon of the May 1 Oaks at Churchill Downs by finishing a rallying third.

Kentucky-bred Counting Stars is out of the winning Paynter mare Paynterbynumbers.