Churchill: Southern Honey to return in Winning Colors Stakes

Southern Honey will be making her first start since finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint last fall when facing nine others here in the Memorial Day feature, the Grade 3, $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes.

Trained by Rusty Arnold, Southern Honey shows six workouts at Keeneland toward her seasonal debut as defending champion in the Winning Colors. The daughter of Colonel John won the Winning Colors last spring as a 3-year-old.

These are the 10 entered in the six-furlong race: Boss Barney’s Babe, Enchanting Lisa, Heykittykittykitty, Milam, Pistolpackinpenny, Southern Honey, Spring Included, Street Story, Toni’s Hollyday, and You Bought Her.

Willow Hills stays unbeaten

Willow Hills remained unbeaten in three career starts when earning an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in a six-length victory in a second-level allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs Thursday at Churchill.

Willow Hills, a 4-year-old filly by Distorted Humor, was bred by her owners, the Donamire Farm of Don and Mira Ball. Her dam, Pleasant Hill, won the Grade 3 Gardenia Stakes in 2007 at Ellis Park and remains the most recent graded winner for the farm.

The Balls, influential home builders in the Lexington, Ky., area, have been in racing for more than 40 years. Among their first horses was Going Straight, the 11th-place finisher in the 1971 Kentucky Derby.

Willow Hills, trained by Ben Colebrook, was among six winning favorites on an eight-race “Twilight Thursday” program. The winning mutuels Thursday: $4, $4.20, $3.40, $14.60, $3, $7.60, $5, $6.20.