Fight On by a nose in Fifth Season Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Fight On battled Casino Star to the wire Sunday for a nose win in the $150,000 Fifth Season at Oaklawn Park. It was another 4 1/2 lengths back to Gato Guapo in third.

The Fifth Season was the first of two stakes on the Sunday card, which closes out the Racing Festival of the South. The other was the Grade 1, $750,000 Apple Blossom Handicap.

Fight On ($22) broke well and advanced four wide around the first turn in the 1 1/16-mile race for 4-year-olds up as Noble Indy took the field through fractions of 24.11 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.53 for the half-mile, and 1:13.72 for six furlongs on a track rated “good.” Fight On raced along in fourth under Tyler Baze, just off the hip of Casino Star, and the two advanced on the final turn and went at it in the stretch, with Fight On covering the distance in 1:44.63.

“Tyler rode him great,” said Doug O’Neill, who trains Fight On.

Fight On was winning his second straight race, following an optional $50,000 claiming route March 30 at Oaklawn. He had earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 93 in that race, one of his first in Arkansas.

O’Neill said Fight On could come under consideration for the $250,000 Oaklawn Mile here May 3.

“We’ll let Fight On tell us,” he said.

Fight On was winning the second stakes of his career. He picked up a first-place check of $90,000 and has an overall record of 4 wins from 17 starts for earnings of $310,411.

Fight On is a son of Into Mischief who races for C T R Stables and Steven Keh.