Familiar foes stretch out to one mile

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Prospective Kiss and Carroll County are old foes, and both will make their first start around two turns in a three-other-than allowance Friday at Oaklawn Park.

The one-mile race will begin and end at the sixteenth pole, as do all races at the distance here. The configuration should benefit both Prospective Kiss and Carroll County, two capable sprinters whose speed will have them in prominent positions during the short stretch run.

Prospective Kiss was second to Carroll County in a maiden special weight race at Oaklawn in March 2004. Since then, he has gone on to win three races, his most recent a two-length victory in a seven-furlong optional claiming race at Louisiana Downs on Dec. 24.

earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 99 for the victory, and since then has been working regularly at Oaklawn for trainer Steve Hobby. The one-mile distance will not be new territory for Prospective Kiss, who won his maiden in a one-turn mile race at Arlington Park by 13 1/2 lengths back in June 2004.

Carlos Marquez Jr. and Prospective Kiss could get a nice stalking trip from post 6.

drew post 2. Trained by Don Von Hemel, he is 3 for 5 at Oaklawn, where in addition to his maiden win he captured two allowances last year, one of them over eventual multiple stakes winner Rodeo's Castle. Carroll County has worked a bullet four furlongs in 48.20 seconds for his second start since March 2005.

In his comeback race last out, he was seventh in an allowance to Thunder Mission, who is being pointed for the Grade 3, $100,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn on Saturday.

Terry Thompson will ride Carroll County, who is a son of Wild Rush.

Others of interest in the field include stakes winner and the Grade 3-placed Golden Glen. Zydeco Affair moves to dirt after finishing second last out in a $50,000 claiming race at the Fair Grounds meet on Jan. 6. Golden Glen also last raced at that meet, and was sixth in an optional claiming race held in the slop Dec. 8.

The seven-horse field is completed by Commander Buck, Troupe, and Foolish Cat.

* Hobby has a leading contender in the other allowance on the card with Joe W. He will face eight others in the second, a conditioned race at six furlongs. Joe W. was second last out in an entry-level allowance in Louisiana.