Another Round at Belmont Park for T Loves a Fight

After his first stakes win in his previous start, T Loves a Fight will face an expected nine other New York-breds when he tries the turf for the first time in a division of the New York Stallion Stakes June 25 at Belmont Park.

New York-bred 3-year-olds will be in the spotlight Sunday at Belmont in a pair of $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes contested at seven furlongs on turf. The first is restricted to New York-bred sophomore fillies, and the second is for 3-year-old state-breds.

Hoffman Thoroughbreds' T Loves a Fight is entered in the latter, which follows a 2 1/4-length victory in the Mike Lee Stakes May 29. T Loves a Fight completed seven furlongs on a sloppy Belmont main track that day in 1:25.06 to top five other New York-breds. Before that race the son of Girolamo   earned his first stakes placing with a runner-up finish in a division of the New York Stallion Stakes contested April 23 at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Michael Hushion, T Loves a Fight has finished first or second in all six of his races this year and he put together a three-race winning streak from Jan. 26-April 8. 

While T Loves a Fight will race on grass for the first time, he did turn in a half-mile breeze in :51.12 on the inner turf June 19 at Belmont.

In the filly race, Lady Joan will make her fifth turf start and enters off a runner-up finish to Fire Key in a May 29 allowance race for state-breds.

Hilly Fields Stable's Lady Joan secured a maiden special weight win at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at last year's Saratoga Race Course meet and closed out the year with a sixth-place finish in the open P. G. Johnson Stakes Sept. 1 at Saratoga going 1 1/16 miles.

The daughter of Courageous Cat   started her 3-year-old season with that May 29 runner-up finish for trainer Phillip Serpe.

The expected field of eight state-bred fillies also includes Reid Nagle's Lover's Key, who gained confidence with a 4 1/4-length score in an open maiden claiming race April 1 on the Gulfstream Park turf and has since followed with a starter allowance win and optional-claiming allowance win on that course. The daughter of Frost Giant   will make her stakes debut Sunday.