T Loves A Fight hammed it up in the Horse Sense stall at Saratoga Race Course Friday afternoon. He posed, stood for pictures, indulged the children eagerly reaching to pet him, posed some more and helped educate fans about Thoroughbred aftercare.
Friday, the track hosted its annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Day, highlighting retired Thoroughbreds and the organizations that work tirelessly to provide them with second careers and second homes.
T Loves A Fight set up shop at the Horse Sense stall at noon, greeting fan after fan for the next two hours. His line was never shorter than a dozen people, and the gelding couldn’t get enough of the attention.
“This is the first time he’s ever done it, but he’s super chill,” said Orlando Noda, one of the gelding’s former trainers. “He’s loving all the attention.”
T Loves A Fight made 62 starts, tallying 11 wins, 12 seconds and eight thirds with earnings of $743,144. Noda claimed him for $10,000 in 2019 but kept him around after his retirement, the gelding slotting into place as Noda’s stable pony.
He competed at the stakes level multiple times throughout his career, his biggest win coming in the 2017 Mike Lee at Belmont Park.
“He was my top earner,” said Noda. “I just wasn’t going to drop him down the ranks and he’s stayed with us ever since. He’s been with us for seven years now.”
Throughout the day, NYRA highlighted retired Thoroughbreds and retirement programs with featurettes on the big screen, interviews with representatives on Saratoga Live and through dedicating races to programs such as Second Chance Throughbreds, Old Friends At Cabin Creek, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program.
A booth behind the jockeys’ quarters provided interested fans with the opportunity to learn more about these racehorse retirement programs. Representatives stood ready to engage and educate fans on all the programs and all the opportunities for Thoroughbreds beyond the racetrack. As a thank you for donations, fans also had the opportunity to choose between t-shirts, sweatshirts, pins and even horse plushies. Representatives from New Vocations headed the booth.
Award as New York’s retired racehorse of the year from NYTHA’s Andy Belfiore. (Samantha Decker Photo)
“A lot of our horses are retired through the Take The Lead program,” said New Vocations’ Amanda Vance. “Then they come to our program for rehab and retraining. Then we transition them and get them adopted.”
Vance manages the New Vocation’s facility in nearby Gansevoort and has seen first hand the effects of aftercare. New Vocations is the largest racehorse adoption program in the country with facilities in Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania serving a variety of communities and helping racehorses from every corner of the country.
“All of our horses have great stories,” she said. “One of the things we do when we have time is get updates on all of the horses that come through our program. It’s a lot of fun to read about all the success. Horses come in and we get to know them, but only for a short period of time usually, so it’s a lot of fun to read about what they’re doing in their new homes and how they’re doing.”
Vance herself adopted a Thoroughbred through New Vocations.
“Comet,” she said with a smile. “That’s my personal horse. He raced 12 times, he’s a New York-bred. We show him now, he’s a show jumper. I adopted him through New Vocations. He’s the best.”
During his racing career, Comet was known as Soaring Star. He made all of his career starts at Finger Lakes before finding a home with Vance.
“The public is a little more aware now that the horses do things other than racing,” said Vance. “I don’t think anybody really thinks about that. That’s why Aftercare Day is important.”
– Darby O’Brien
• Runaway Bride or bride-to-be?
Both were in the winner’s circle after Friday’s sixth.
A bachelorette party joined in the celebrations after Runaway Bride scored on debut, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint, the bride-to-be clad in a white veil and all as the group swarmed in.
“She’s trained extremely well, very forward,” said winning trainer Whit Beckman. “I don’t start a lot of horses real early but she’s kind of put herself in a spot to make that start. The way the Charlatans are running on the turf, I thought she was a turf horse early and then they started hitting there, so it came together in that respect.”
The 2-year-old daughter of Charlatan settled at the rear early before rallying wide at the top of the stretch. She won by a neck under Tyler Gaffalione.
“With these 2-year-olds you never know,” said former Major League Baseball player Jayson Werth, whose Icon Racing Stable owns the filly. “That’s why you run the races. I’ve been playing professional sports, anything can happen. Anybody can be beaten on any given day. That’s why you’re in it, that’s why you run. That was a tough race, it was like Murderer’s Row, really. She ran great. We thought maybe she wanted a little bit extra distance but you never know until you run. And to show that heart, that competitiveness, as a 2-year-old. And the way she was in the paddock, she was so professional, calm, business-like. That’s what you want to see. Whit’s done a great job with her, super happy.”
Icon Racing paid $150,000 for Runaway Bride at the OBS April sale and sent her Beckman. She impressed from the start.
“She’s a really good-minded filly,” Beckman said. “I’ve had no issues with her, just been able to train along with no interruptions. She can get a little aggressive out there but around the barn she’s as easy as they come. But on the track she knows what time it is.”
– Darby O’Brien
• Fans who missed Thursday’s 13 1/4-length winner in the first race didn’t need to worry much, because Friday’s opener looked similar. Babcie, a 3-year-old filly by Central Banker, romped to a 7-length win in the 7-furlong maiden claiming event on the main track to kick off the card. The New York-bred gave trainer Melanie Giddings her second win of the meet and her owner, 94-year-old Frederick McNeary Sr., his first win at Saratoga.
“I’ve run here several times, but never won,” said McNeary. “I was born and raised here and have lived here all my life. It’s outstanding to win here.”
Babcie, a $2,500 RNA at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale, means “grandmother” in Polish.
“There’s a lot of Polish people here,” a grinning McNeary said as he walked out of the winner’s circle with his wife and daughter by his side.
– Shea Brown
• Trainer Fernando Abreu went from waiting for his first Saratoga win of the summer to celebrating two in the span of less than an hour Friday afternoon.
“It feels good,” Abreu said after the first winner, John Penn’s Get A Job in the fourth. The 5-year-old Good Samaritan gelding made his first start of 2026 in the 1-mile claiming event on the dirt and won by a head.
“I was a little bit worried because he’s had a long layoff; we’re just bringing him back,” said Abreu. “He tends to like Saratoga, but when I saw him go the first quarter in :24 and change, I figured he should be able to be there because he was working really good.”
Abreu returned to the winner’s circle after Paterpop Racing’s Salming won the fifth, a 6 1/2-furlong claiming race on the dirt for his first victory of 2026. Linda Rice claimed the gelding for $20,000.
– Taylor Barraclough
• Lindy Farm’s Limited Edition and Ricardo Santana Jr. closed out the card with a win in a 1 1/2-mile maiden special weight on the inner turf.
Trained Philip Antonacci, Limited Edition bided his time in fourth for most of the race behind War And Majesty, Donnadoyawanna and Orgonite.
The 4-year-old Not This Time gelding went rallied on the outside to win by 3 ½ lengths. Limited Edition moved to Antonacci’s string after being purchased for $135,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July horses of racing age sale.
“He’s a very easy horse, a very kind horse,” Antonacci said. “He’s just been a pleasure to have and he always deserved to win. He was runner-up a few times at Gulfstream and today seemed like he deserved it and obviously he liked the distance.”
Limited Edition won in his 11th start. He most recently finished fifth in a maiden special weight at a mile on the turf during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
“A horse like that fits Kentucky Downs well,” said Antonacci. “It looks like he wants to go long and like nothing bothers him too much. We’ll see how he comes out of it and evaluate the next step.”
– Shea Brown
• Qatar Racing’s Conflict stormed home to break her maiden on debut in the second, a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden, for trainer Brad Cox. Irad Ortiz Jr. piloted the Golden Pal filly to a 1-length score. … Chad Brown sent out My Gun’s Loaded to win the third, a 1-mile optional claiming. The heavy favorite drew off to triumph by 3 lengths for Douglas Scharbauer. … Head of Plains’ homebred Nonna Lynne rallied to win the seventh, a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming on the turf, for trainer Chad Brown.
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