The aptly named Class Included returned in fine style Saturday with a one-length victory over stable mate Sweet Nellie Brown in the $21,500 Dreyer’s Purse for older fillies and mares at Emerald Downs.

With Juan Gutierrez riding at 119 lbs, Class Included ran 5-½ furlongs in 1:02.18 on a fast track and paid $4.20, $2.80 and $2.20. Voted the track’s Top 3-Year-Old Filly in 2011 after winning two stakes including the Washington Oaks, Class Included has never finished worse than second in 10 career starts.

Owned and bred by Michael and Amy Feuerborn, the 4-year-old Class Included is 10-5-5-0 with earnings of $190,823, including $11,825 for Saturday’s win. Stalking the leaders to midway on the turn, Class Included swept to the lead while three deep into the stretch, opened a clear advantage inside the eighth pole, and then held off Sweet Nellie Brown for the victory.

Sweet Nellie Brown, ridden by William Antongeorgi at 119 lbs, rallied strongly through the stretch to finish second and paid $3.40 and $2.40.

Washington Hall of Fame Trainer Jim Penney conditions both Class Included and Sweet Nellie Brown.

Elusive Noise, ridden by Leslie Mawing at 119 lbs., held third and paid $2.40. Winner of the 2011 Irish Day Handicap in which she held off Class Included for the victory, Elusive Noise dueled with Carrabelle Harbor through fractions of :22.01 and :44.72, and then gave way to the top two finishers in the drive.

The horse that battled Elusive Noise for the lead, Carrabelle Harbor, finished fourth and Kate Winsalot finished last.

After the race, Carrabelle Harbor “tied up” from heat exhaustion, but walked off on her own power and was doing well back at the barn, trainer Doris Harwood said. The Oregon-bred filly did the same thing last year after finishing second in the Seattle Handicap, and then came back to win two straight including a win over Class Included in the Kent Handicap.

Older fillies and mares kick off the 2012 stakes schedule on May 13 with the $50,000 Hastings Handicap, a six-furlong test that could be a showdown between Class Included and You Me and Ema B. The latter 5-year-old mare is the defending Hastings champion and was voted 2011 Top Older Filly or Mare at Emerald Downs.

TALK TO MY LAWYER RETURNS WITH A WIN

In the fifth race, last year’s champion Juvenile Filly returned to action with a victory as Talk to My Lawyer edged clear for a 1-¼ length triumph over Lady Dakota in the $18,000 allowance race for 3-year-old fillies.
Ridden by Leslie Mawing for trainer Chris Stenslie and Will This One Do Stable, Talk to My Lawyer ran 5-½ furlongs in 1:03.60 and paid $3.20.

A Washington-bred chestnut filly by Lawyer Ron-Infernal McGoon, Talk to My Lawyer has compiled a 2-2-1 record in five starts with earnings of $61,320. She finished her 2011 campaign with a maiden-breaking victory against males in the prestigious Gottstein Futurity at 1-1/16 miles. Saturday marked her sprint victory in three tries, and her next race could be the $50,000 Seattle Handicap at 6-½ furlongs on Sunday, May 27.

NOTES: News Beat ($4.60) prevailed in Saturday’s opener for owner trainer Jim Fergason and owner Art McFadden. The 4-year-old Benchmark gelding was claimed for $12,500, however, and will now be trained by Larry Ross for owner Leonard Strandley Jr.*Owners Sue and Tim Spooner are enjoying a big weekend at Emerald Downs. Friday their 5-year-old gelding Malibu Rum won Friday’s feature race and Saturday their 3-year-old colt City Twister rallied from last and scored an 8 ¾-length victory in the $13,700 fourth race for non-winners of two lifetime. Ridden by Debbie Hoonan and trained by Dan Markle, City Twister ran 5-½ furlongs in 1:01.88*nearly two seconds faster than Talk to My Lawyer’s victory 30 minutes later*Bad as Can Be at $13.40 in the nightcap was the only double-digit winner on the eight-race card. Show prices in the finale were $9.80, $10.40 and $14.60 as 1-to-5 betting favorite Mutiny Bay was pulled up on the first turn of the one-mile race*Leslie Mawing rode two winners while Gutierrez’ win on Class Included moved him to within four wins of Ricky Frazier for No.2 on the all-time Emerald Downs list. Frazier, who is not riding this season, has 886 wins at EmD and Gutierrez 882*Frank Lucarelli led the trainers with two wins*Live racing continues Saturday with first post at 2 p.m. and features a $21,500 allowance race at 5-½ furlongs. Hollywood Harbor is the 9-to-5 morning line favorite.