Dancing Count Stakes
| Class | Ungraded Stakes |
|---|---|
| Location | Laurel Park Racecourse, Laurel, Maryland, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1985 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 6 furlongs |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old, open |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | $100,000 |
The Dancing Count Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held in January at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. It is open to three-year-olds and is run at six furlongs on dirt.
An ungraded stakes, it offers a purse of $100,000. The Dancing Count is also one of Maryland's Triple Crown prep races. The winner of this race typically moves on to compete in the Private Terms Stakes held in March at Laurel Park Racecourse as well, but winners have also ventured off to New York and Kentucky for their next races.
The race was named in honor of one of Maryland's top stallions, Northern Dancer's son Dancing Count, who sired more than 20 graded stakes winners. His progeny include three-time Maryland Million Ladies winner Countus In. Another daughter Count On Bonnie, was the dam of Wclipse champion Hansel, who won the 1991 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Dancing Count stood his final years at Shamrock Farm and died in April 1994 at age 26.