Meet New York-bred fan favorite T Loves a Fight on Friday at Saratoga

Talented New York-bred T Loves a Fight, a fan favorite after winning 11 of his 62 career starts over seven seasons, will be at Saratoga Race Course on Friday as part of New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day.

T Loves a Fight will be one of more than a dozen retired racehorses in the Racetrack Pony Parade before the first race, then will be in the Horse Sense stall behind the grandstand from 1-2:30 p.m., where fans can meet and take a photo with him.

New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day was created by The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA), New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB), and New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund (NYTBDF) in 2021 to highlight the New York thoroughbred industry’s commitment to aftercare.

T Loves a Fight, a poster boy for aftercare success, raced for five different barns in his first 25 starts, but found his forever home when trainer Orlando Noda dropped the claim slip in May of 2019. He won three of his first four starts for his new stable and finished in the money 19 times before being retired. “T” has been a beloved member of the Noda clan since Day One.

“This is the horse that put us on the map,” Noda said. “We claimed him, and he won three in a row for us, the last was our first win in Saratoga. That’s everyone’s hope and dream, to claim a horse for $10,000 and have him make more than $400,000 for you. I never again ran him for $10,000 or even $25,000, I didn’t want anyone to claim him.

“This horse, we owe him everything,” he continued. “He’s our family. My kids grew up feeding him, getting on him, bathing him. When it was time to retire him, my wife said, ‘We have to keep him with us.’ Even when it is time to send him to the farm, when he is old, he will still be our horse.”

“T” made his last start at Aqueduct Racetrack in March of 2022.

“He could’ve been competitive, he was sound, but I didn’t want to drop him down in the claiming ranks,” the trainer explained. “No, that wasn’t going to happen. He had done enough.”

But the bay still had plenty of energy, so Noda decided to try him out as a racetrack pony.

“He has always been a very sound horse with a very good attitude,” Noda said. “He wasn’t ponying the first year, we just did groundwork with him. He was still pretty aggressive, he didn’t know he was a pony yet. Then we took him to Ocala, and that’s when his mentality changed. Since we came back to New York, he has been very relaxed, and being next to other horses has been very natural for him. He loves his new job.”

Noda believes he will also enjoy meeting his fans during Aftercare Day.

“What more could he want?” he said. “His ears are always up, he wants to be around people. He loves attention.”

You can learn more about T Loves a Fight, and all of the racetrack ponies who will parade on New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day, at https://www.take2tbreds.com/new-yorks-amazing-racetrack-ponies/.