Bellafina, Mia Mischief square off in Oaklawn's Carousel

Given lack of opportunities in more lucrative races, Bellafina and Mia Mischief will clash Saturday in a graded stakes-worthy renewal of Oaklawn Park’s $125,000 Carousel Stakes.

Favoritism in the Carousel, for older fillies and mares, could lean either way with Bellafina exiting a layoff with plenty of back class and Mia Mischief already an allowance optional claiming winner this season over the course and at the distance.

They lead a field of eight set to go in Race 10, at 6:16 p.m., on a card preceded by the $100,000 Bachelor Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters led by Eight Rings.

Bellafina will have jockey Joe Talamo up from the inside post in her first start since the daughter of Quality Road backed up to one turn, then finished second in both the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park as a 3-year-old.

Earlier in her career, Bellafina won six graded stakes, three of them Grade 1s at lengthening distances: the Del Mar Debutante (G1), Chandelier (G1) and Santa Anita Oaks (G1).

Simon Callaghan trains Bellafina for a partnership of Kaleem Shah and Coolmore. The 4-year-old filly worked Saturday at Oaklawn, traveling a half mile in 47.80 seconds under Talamo, who called the breeze “unbelievable,” adding that Bellafina “absolutely skipped over the track.”

The 5-year-old Mia Mischief doesn’t boast quite the same sort of resume but has home track advantage, stabling there since she cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory back on March 20.

With a 9-6-1 record in 20 starts, Mia Mischief continues to be trained by Steve Asmussen after she sold for $2.4 million at last November’s Fasig-Tipton sale to Stonestreet Stables. This is expected to be her final season on track before breeding to Curlin.

Mia Mischief will break from the outside post under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.

Between the two Carousel stars, in post position order from the rail out, are Midnight Fantasy, Sunny Dale, What a Fox, Classy Act, Amy’s Challenge and Lady Suebee.

Prominent among them are Midnight Fantasy, a daughter of Midnight Lute trained by Joe Sharp, won the Carousel’s local prep, the Spring Fever Stakes, on Feb. 29; Amy’s Challenge, the McLean Robertson-trained daughter of Artie Schiller who has hit the board in seven of eight Oaklawn starts; and Lady Suebee, a member of the John Sadler barn who’s graded stakes-placed in California.