Oaklawn: Beat the Blues rallies up rail to win Carousel

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Beat the Blues rolled up the rail for a 1 3/4-length win in the $75,000 Carousel at Oaklawn Park on Thursday. Mysterious Chimes was second, holding off the late-charging Gleaming by a nose. It was another two lengths back to favorite Salty Strike in fourth.

Beat the Blues ($10.60) stalked the pace in the Carousel as Mysterious Chimes jumped out to the lead at the start of the six-furlong race for fillies and mares and set fractions of 21.88 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.42 for the half-mile. Beat the Blues put in her bid through the lane, covering the distance on a track rated fast in 1:09.67.

"The rail opened up and she went nice in there and won easy," said Miguel Mena, who was aboard for trainer Bret Calhoun.

Calhoun said Beat the Blues would now be pointed for the Grade 3, $100,000 Winning Colors for fillies and mares at six furlongs at Churchill Downs on June 2.

Beat the Blues races for the partnership of Martin Racing Stable and Morgan Thoroughbred LLC.

Calhoun also trains Gleaming.

The Carousel was part of the Racing Festival of the South, when Oaklawn puts on nine stakes over the final week of its meet that ends Saturday with the running of the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.