HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Mad House refused to lose Saturday at Oaklawn Park, where he broke on top and set a pressured pace in the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap before fighting for a half-length win. Roll On Big Joe, who was the favorite off three straight stakes wins, finished second, while it was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third to Dreaminblue.
The Count Fleet was part of the Racing Festival of the South and it shared a card with the Grade 1, $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap. The infield was open on a sunny afternoon in the low 80s.
Mad House ($20.20) broke on top and proceeded to take his rivals through an opening quarter in 21.99 seconds and a half-mile in 45.12. Roll On Big Joe was a constant companion and into the stretch looked like he might get past the leader, but Mad House had more under jockey Paco Lopez and battled on to cover six furlongs on a fast track in 1:08.93.
"I do know that when this horse, Mad House, is on the lead he’s tough to outrun and he made the lead today and made me feel comfortable for a while,” winning trainer David Van Winkle said in a post-race interview broadcast by Oaklawn. “But down the stretch, I was getting nervous. Roll On Big Joe is a very nice horse. Mad House prevailed, so I was very happy with him.”
Mad House put a string of four straight wins together last year in a streak that ended with a victory in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing. He went on to run 14th in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. This year, Mad House is 2 for 2, having accounted for an allowance at Tampa Bay Downs on March 6 before invading for the Count Fleet.
The son of Vekoma races for James Thares.
Mad House has now won 6 of 12 starts and the first-place check of $285,000 he picked up Saturday pushed his career earnings to $603,015.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.