Counting Stars Headlines Alabama

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – To be sure, the legendary TV pitchman Ron Popeil's catchphrase “But wait, there's more,” comes in handy approaching Counting Stars (Honor A.P.)'s run in the GI Alabama Stakes Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

While placing a stranglehold on the 3-year-old filly division title with a victory in the historic $600,000 Alabama by Counting Stars would be a significant accomplishment, it is not the only prize within reach.

Yes, there's more.

Should Counting Stars, who will be heavily favored in the field of six, prevail, she could lift her owners, West Point Thoroughbreds to a pair of significant milestones in its 35th anniversary season. West Point, launched in 1991 by the young couple Debbie and Terry Finley with one partner and one horse, has 199 stakes wins and is on the verge of surpassing $100 million in purse money earned.

A score in the 1 1/4-mile Alabama would be Counting Star's third straight Grade I win at Saratoga this summer–an historic first–following wins in the Acorn and Coaching Club American Oaks, and would likely make her a lock for the Eclipse Award. Despite all of its success through the decades, West Point has had but two champions: Flightline (Tapit), the unbeaten Horse of the Year and older male dirt titlist in 2022 and Super Corredora (Gun Runner), winner of the 2-year-old filly crown in 2025.

“They're hard to come by. Just like everybody, this game will humble you,” Finley said, noting that many standout horses have tasted defeat at Saratoga.

“That being said, we're going to have a great week, and it will be a very exciting day,” Finley said. “The Alabama is really a race that people that have been in the game any length of time would love to win. We certainly fit that category.”

With eight horses handed by seven trainers entered between Wednesday and Sunday, all five categories on the West Point website's stats page could change. Entering this race week it showed 1,287 victories, the 199 stakes, 91 graded stakes, 24 GI wins and purse earnings of $99,653,018. She's Country (Combatant) earned $6,000 Wednesday with a fifth-place finish in the Statue of Liberty Stakes at Saratoga. If Counting Stars does finish first in the Alabama and secures the first-place money of $330,000, the remaining six runners would need to secure a total of $10,982 in purses to hit $100 million.

Finley paused for a moment and embraced the word “thirst” from a question about the drive to find success, and possibly champions, as horse owners.

“I think that's a good term, that thirst is never ending,” he said. “It's never ending for anybody that either spends money or puts together a partnership and is investing partners' money. But, I think, most of the time we're just looking for Grade I winners. Probably, the take is you don't get greedy and you have to stay humble.”

Finley said that has to be the approach, whether it's a $1-million yearling like Flightline or Counting Stars, who West Point purchased for $150,000 as a 2-year-old in training.

“You just want a really good horse that is going to surpass their pedigree and their sale price,” he said. “I don't think people think as much about owning a champion because that works itself out, right? That's inherent in the process of these horses competing at the top end of the business. Nothing earth shattering there. It's just that you've got to make sure you stay humble in this game. We really try to and we are.”

West Point has grown from its modest start with a $5,000 claimer into a company with 15 employees. Bloodstock agent David Ingordo leads its acquisition team, which purchased about 55 horses last year. Finley said that finding a horse like Counting Stars, who exceeds expectation is “the high that keeps us all coming back.”

In Finley's view, West Point has prospered and become an industry leader with a combination of human and equine talent.

“It's about horses, certainly, but it's about people,” he said. “Everybody knows you don't see a successful entity or organization in our industry from an ownership standpoint that has sustained over the years winning races without a great team. I think we're probably a perfect example of that. We've tinkered with our team, and we've worked and right now we have the right people on the right bus and going in the right direction is how I see it. It's a beautiful thing to be part of.”

Finley said he is pleased with a West Point stat that does not show up on any racing database.

“We've brought over 3,300 people into ownership and that's something we are really proud of,” he said. “Not all of them have stayed in the business, but a good number have. They've stayed with us or they've owned by themselves or they put their own partnerships together. There are several syndicates that are doing very well, and they started with us. That's something that really brings a smile to our faces.”

The Counting Stars partnership has 14 members, many of them newcomers to West Point. Finley said the filly's relatively modest purchase price–she was in the bottom 10% of the stable's purchases last year–was attractive to people investing for the first time. They are already big winners with a filly who has six victories from 10 starts and career earnings of $1,660,606 with Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

But wait, there is more.

With two Grade I wins, Counting Star already has serious value as a broodmare prospect. Should she complete the trifecta of the Acorn, CCA Oaks and Alabama, she would join the elite group of Shuvee (1969), Mom's Command (1985), Open Mind (1989) and Sky Beauty (1993) with the sweep. Worth noting is that all four of them have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Counting Stars sold for $13,000 as a yearling, but was a more appealing prospect six months later at the OBS April sale. West Point had raced her dam, Paynterbynumbers (Paynter), who Finley said never was able to reach her potential, and is a partner in the sire, Honor A.P. (Honor Code).

Even though Counting Stars won three of four starts as a 2-year-old, West Point did not see her as a potential championship prospect in 2026.

“No, you couldn't have thought it,” Finley said. “You could have dreamed about it, but you couldn't have thought with any degree of confidence that we were going to be sitting here with a very live shot in the Alabama.

“That's the real magic of owning horses and being around these horses is they just they stop you in your tracks, the magic that they bring to our lives. They really do. They captivate our hearts in so many different ways. She's the perfect example, this filly. There's a lot to love about her. She doesn't have the most stellar pedigree, she didn't sell for a lot of money, but every morning she just buckles it up and she goes and she trains and she's happy. She's really building a very nice resume, for sure.”