Recent Whitmore Stakes (G3) winner Tejano Twist will look to secure his third consecutive victory April 11 at Oaklawn Park in the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3).
The 7-year-old son of Practical Joke has competed in three runnings of the 6-furlong sprint, with his best effort coming in 2024 when he finished second. The hard-knocking Chris Hartman trainee has earned just shy of $2 million during his six-year campaign.
"That's the one that always gets away from him," Hartman said about the Count Fleet Sprint.
Tejano Twist enters the race off a 2-length win in the Whitmore, also at 6 furlongs, just two weeks after a 3 1/2-length victory in an allowance optional claiming race, where he defeated last year's Count Fleet winner Booth.
"That was impressive," Hartman said of the Whitmore performance. "He (Francisco Arrieta) rode him with a lot of confidence, that's for sure."
Booth, who has been winless in his last three starts, will be among Tejano Twist's main rivals Saturday. The 5-year-old son of Mitole should be fully cranked this weekend for trainer Steve Asmussen after a game effort March 1 behind Tejano Twist. Before that start, Booth had not raced since last July, when he finished second by a nose in the Jeff Hall Memorial Stakes at Ellis Park.
Asmussen has won the Count Fleet seven times.
Florida-bred Roll On Big Joe, winner of the King Cotton Stakes and Ring The Bell Stakes, both at Oaklawn—defeating Tejano Twist both times—will be waiting for a rematch with the veteran gelding. He enters off a bullet work April 3 at The Thoroughbred Center, breezing 4 furlongs in :47 3/5.
Oaklawn Park, Saturday, April 11, 2026, Race 8Entries: Count Fleet Sprint H. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Maximum Bourbon (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 116 Philip D'Amato 3/1 2 2Tough Catch (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 117 Dallas Stewart 12/1 3 3Booth (KY) Erik Asmussen 121 Steven M. Asmussen 7/2 4 4Mad House (FL) Paco Lopez 118 David Vanwinkle 15/1 5 5Roll On Big Joe (FL) Julien R. Leparoux 123 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 2/1 6 6Wendelssohn (KY) John R. Velazquez 119 Chris A. Hartman 10/1 7 7Tejano Twist (KY) Francisco Arrieta 122 Chris A. Hartman 6/1 8 8Dreaminblue (KY) Rafael Bejarano 117 Randy L. Morse 8/1
