By Dick Jerardi
When Centre Court Champ, one of Jack Armstrong’s favorites, was claimed for $40,000 by Jamie Ness on Jan, 10, 2024, the owner had some money in his account so “he was looking for a nice horse to replace a nice horse.”
An opportunity arose less than a month later when Counterspy, trained by Ness, was available for $40,000 in an optional claimer at Parx.
Armstrong thinks he has maybe claimed “five or six for $40,000 or more.”
None of them, however, turned out like Counterspy who was 1-2, won by 7 1/2 lengths and got a 95 Beyer on the day Armstrong and trainer Bobby Mosco claimed him for the $40,000.
Fourteen months later, Counterspy has won five times for Armstrong and earned $212,800. The now 5-year-old also ran a very strong third in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup behind top class Tapit Trice last summer and a solid fourth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Mile behind the very talented Mindframe this winter.
Only two horses, Courtage ($242,508) and Emirates Affair ($230,610) have earned more than Counterspy for Armstrong.
After returning from his Florida “vacation,’’ Counterspy was entered April 9 in a very strong optional claimer at Parx. How strong?
The six horses had combined for 36 wins and $2,082,161 in earnings. We’re talking Lonesome Boy, Irish Cork, Adero, Ten Gauge, Offaly Cool, and Counterspy, a stakes quality field.
Counterspy, as he often does, went right to the front and ran the field off their feet. The horses chasing him all got tired, and only Irish Cork, who was last early, was making up ground late as Counterspy won by a comfortable 2 1/4 lengths.
It was the fifth straight time jockey Mychel Sanchez had won on Counterspy. And none of the races was particularly close at the finish.
“Mychel usually gets him to the front, Mychel’s usually pretty good at slowing him down and controlling the pace,” Armstrong said. “When some horse comes towards him, he seems to have knack of kicking away.”
Counterspy, a son of Hall of Famer Gun Runner, has an interesting backstory. He was bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds out of a mare named Simplify, who won $261,658 in a 22-race career. Counterspy was sold to John Oxley for $150,000 at a Keeneland September 2021 sale and eventually turned over to trainer Mark Casse.
The horse had one win and three seconds for Casse in 2022 and 2023 before being sold for $47,000 in November 2023 at Keeneland in a Horses of Racing Age sale. The horse then ended up at Parx for two races with Ness early last year.
“In my heart of hearts, I think he’s probably better than the money allowance horses at Parx, but probably hard pressed to be a graded stakes winner,” Armstrong said. “Maybe some $100,000 stakes overnight, stakes like that, would hit him right between the eyes.”
If they can find one of those races where Counterspy is lone speed, he will obviously be very difficult to beat. After all, this is a horse that has earned seven Beyer figures between 92 and 98 over the last 14 months. Put a horse in front with that kind of sustained speed and you find yourself in a whole bunch of winner’s circle pictures.
