SPRING INCLUDED FAVORED IN WEDNESDAY’S CAROUSEL STAKES

Hot Springs, Ark. (Tuesday, April 7, 2015) – Oaklawn’s Racing Festival of the South continues Wednesday with the $100,000 Carousel Stakes for older fillies and mares at six furlongs. Probable post time for the Carousel, the eighth of nine races, is 4:42 p.m. (Central).

Nine horses are entered in the Carousel, including 5-2 program favorite Spring Included and Electric Temptress, who is seeking her fourth consecutive victory at the meeting for trainer Chris Richard. Spring Included, who is owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong and trained by Steve Hobby, is coming off a front-running 1 ¾-length victory over Heykittykittykitty in the $100,000 Spring Fever Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs Feb. 21. It was the first career stakes victory for Spring Included, a 4-year-old daughter of Include who had spent most of her 11-race career in route races.

“It took me a long time to get it through my thick head,” Hobby said. “But she’s by Include. They’re supposed to run long.”

In her return to sprints, Spring Included was beaten a half-length in the $100,000 American Beauty Stakes Jan. 24. She has finished first or second five times in six career races at 6 ½ furlongs or less. Joe Rocco Jr. again the mount on Spring Included, who is scheduled to break from post 9 and carry equal top weight of 122 pounds under allowance conditions for money earned in 2015.

“Post is fine,” Hobby said. “It’s a nice race. That filly of Chris is rocking.”

Electric Temptress and Sugar Shock are the co-3-1 second choices in the program. Electric Temptress will be making her stakes debut after winning two allowance/optional claiming races and an allowance race at the meeting for Richard, who, on behalf of owner Maggi Moss, claimed the 4-year-old First Samurai filly for $30,000 at the 2014 Oaklawn meeting.

Sugar Shock won the American Beauty in her 2015 debut, but will also be entered in Friday’s $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at 1 1/16 miles, co-owner/trainer Doug Anderson said. Anderson said he will monitor the weather Wednesday because Sugar Shock doesn’t like an off track.

Also entered in the Carousel are Haveyougoneaway, Miss Beautiful, Street Story, Chortle, Yucca and Boss Barney’s Babe. Street Story returns to the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen, who saddled the 4-year-old Street Cry filly to victories in last year’s $100,000 Dixie Belle Stakes and $100,000 Instant Racing Stakes at Oaklawn. Asmussen, who is seeking his seventh Oaklawn trainer’s title, has won the Carousel a record six times, including the last two years.

Boss Barney’s Babe finished fifth in the Spring Fever, her first start since fracturing her withers, trainer Bret Calhoun said, when she became excited and flipped in her stall following the 2014 running of the race.

The complete field for the $100,000 Carousel, in post position order, with riders and morning line odds: Haveyougoneaway, Jareth Loveberry, 6-1; Miss Beautiful, Israel Ocampo, 30-1; Electric Temptress, Ramon Vazquez, 3-1; Sugar Shock, Channing Hill, 3-1; Street Story, Ricardo Santana Jr., 5-1; Chortle, Alex Canchari, 30-1; Yucca, Glen Corbett, 30-1; Boss Barney’s Babe, Cliff Berry, 8-1 and Spring Included, Joe Rocco Jr., 5-2.