Fight On wins stretch battle to take Fifth Season S.

Into Mischief’s 4-year-old colt Fight On has lived up to his name in his last two starts at Oaklawn Park, winning both by a nose in a pair of extremely game efforts.

The dark bay’s latest win, in Sunday’s $150,000 Fifth Season S., also marked his first career open company stakes win.

Part of southern California-based trainer Doug O’Neill’s Midwest string, Fight On has taken to the Oaklawn main track this meet after racing mainly on the turf in California.

A good break put Fight On just a couple lengths off the pace around the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile affair. Tyler Baze was content to hold his spot on the outside of horses through a half-mile in :48.53. Baze urged his mount on around the final bend and struck the front in upper stretch. Joined soonafter by Casino Star, the two raced as one down the lane, with Fight On getting his nose in front when it counted.

The final time on the “good” track was 1:44.63.

“I called Doug before the race and he said to just get him out of the gate good and into a good spot,” Baze said. “He said when you think you should go, it’s probably time, so go. He told me the horse would fight all the way to the wire and he did. He showed his guts today.”

Fight On races for C T R Stables and Steven Keh and is now 4-3-2 in 17 outings, with earnings of $310,411. He captured the 2017 running of the Spendthrift Juvenile Stallion S. at Churchill Downs.

Fight On’s dam Havenlass is a half-sister to Grade 2 winners Belterra and Royal Haven.

Fight On was Into Mischief second stakes winner of the weekend, coming one day after Owendale’s dynamic performance in the Lexington S. (G3) at Keeneland.

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