Top horsemen clash in Carousel

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame horsemen Steve Asmussen, D. Wayne Lukas, and Gary Stevens will clash Saturday in the $150,000 Carousel, one of two stakes on the card at Oaklawn. The $100,000 Arkansas Breeders’ Stakes goes earlier on the program, headed by defending winner Racer.

The Carousel, for fillies and mares at six furlongs, drew a field of six. The Arkansas Breeders’, which drew 11, is a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up bred in Arkansas.

Asmussen will be looking for his seventh win in the Carousel when he sends out Vertical Oak, who is making her first start since October. Stevens is riding impressive allowance winner Mythical Tale, who owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure. Lukas will counter by sending Impasse, who could get an ideal setup from post 6.

“I have to believe the Carousel is full of speed,” Lukas said before the draw. “She might be a good fit there.”

Impasse closed from last to win an allowance sprint for fillies and mares by a half-length March 23 at Oaklawn.

“I liked her last race,” Lukas said. “I liked the way she clocked the speed and finished – really finished.”

Terry Thompson has the mount on Impasse, who is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Majestic River.

Vertical Oak registered her biggest win in the Grade 2 Prioress in September at Saratoga. She closed out her season one race later, with a troubled seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America in her first start against older rivals Oct. 7 at Keeneland. Vertical Oak shows a nice series of works, including a bullet five furlongs in 1:01 on March 26 at Oaklawn.

Vertical Oak, who has natural speed, is a three-time stakes winner, and is owned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison. She will break from post 4 under Oaklawn leading rider Ricardo Santana Jr.

Mythical Tale was a front-running allowance winner March 16 at Oaklawn, covering six furlongs in 1:09.33 and earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 91. She will break from post 5 for trainer Brad Cox.

The Carousel also has drawn Marquee Miss, a multiple stakes winner, and Swing and Sway, winner of the American Beauty earlier in the meet at Oaklawn.

Racer back at better distance

Racer will be moving back to two turns for the Arkansas Breeders’ Stakes off a fourth-place finish going six furlongs in the $100,000 Nodouble on March 3 at Oaklawn. Racer will be making his third start off a layoff.

“He’s a two-turn horse,” said trainer Jinks Fires. “He’s a kind of big, long type of horse.”

During his time away from the races, Racer had a throat procedure, according to Fires.

“We found a big ulcer underneath his epiglottis,” Fires said. “It was impacting his air.”

The ulcer was removed, said Fires.

Racer will break from post 3 under Jon Court.

“I’d like to be up close,” said Fires, who trains Racer for Val Yagos.

Five O One enters off a third-place finish in the Nodouble. He was favored in the race – just as he has been in all five of his starts. Last year, Five O One became a stakes winner in the $100,000 Rainbow at Oaklawn. He is owned by Staton Flurry and trained by Brad Cox.

“I bought him at OBS a couple of years ago,” Flurry said. “I kind of had him marked. Brad was at the sale. He went and looked at him, and when Brad says he really likes an Arkie-bred, you buy that Arkie-bred.”

Five O One is by Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Drosselmeyer, and Flurry is hopeful the pedigree will help Five O One get two turns in his first attempt Saturday.

Also in the field is J.E.’s Handmedown, the winner of the Nodouble.