In March of 1940, the mare Quickly produced a plain-brown colt by the 1928 Kentucky Derby winner, Reigh Count, at Stoner Creek Stud in Kentucky. The colt proved so difficult to handle that owner John D. Hertz put him up for sale.

Only one person believed in the colt, stablehand Sam Ramsen, who pleaded with the farm manager on the colt’s behalf, telling anyone that would listen, “Someday he’s going to be one fine racer. When that leggy brown colt wants to run, he can just about fly.”

Even though he was offered for sale several times, even through his juvenile season, that brown colt, now christened Count Fleet, was kept by Hertz, and raced to fame wearing the colors of Hertz’s wife.

Jim McKay has more of the story below in our latest Triple Crown newsreel.