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Counting Stars made her final start of the Oaklawn meet in the 1 1/16-mile Fantasy Stakes March 27, a race Explora was withdrawn from.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 edition of the May 1 Oaks at Churchill Downs by finishing a rallying third.

In her next start, Counting Stars turned the tables on both Oaks winner Always a Runner and runner-up Meaning by winning the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes June 5 at Saratoga during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. She broke well under first-time rider Irad Ortiz and saved ground through the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile race before angling out and shooting past Always a Runner by 3 ¾ lengths for a breakthrough top-level win.

The Grade 1 $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks July 25 at Saratoga served as the rubber match between Counting Stars and Always a Runner, who had previously traded wins and losses in the Kentucky Oaks and in the Acorn Stakes, and it was Counting Stars who came out on top with a decisive 4 1/4-length victory going 1 1/8 miles at the Spa. Sent off as the 1.04-1 favorite in a field of seven in the CCA Oaks, Counting Stars went right to the front and led much of the way. She fended off a stretch challenge from Always a Runner, who looked her in the eye at the eighth pole, but Counting Stars had another gear and accelerated in the final furlong to score the impressive win.

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