Green Lite Honey tries turf and route

ALBANY, Calif. - For soon-to-be 3-year-olds, this is an important time of the year.

The tests become more varied as juveniles are given the opportunity to sprint, to route, to run on the main track and to try turf.

Friday's Golden Gate Fields feature gives six 2-year-old fillies the chance to experiment on turf. The $40,000 starter allowance is carded at one mile.

Only one of the fillies has tried the turf before - Betterwinsome, who ran fifth in her turf debut, a $40,000 optional claimer at Bay Meadows on Oct. 7.

Trainer Billy Morey has been waiting to run Green Lite Honey on the turf. Her sire, David Copperfield, won 4 of 12 grass starts and he earned $469,603. Inthefastlane, her dam, placed in stakes and as a broodmare produced Crosslander, who has a pair of turf wins.

Green Lite Honey won her debut and then finished second sprinting twice at this level.

Green Lite Honey has natural speed, and Morey has worked on her endurance, giving her five works in the six weeks since her last start, including two six-furlong drills.

While Morey has positive stats over the past two years with horses making their first start off a six-week layoff, his runners have won only 5 percent of their turf debuts. But Green Lite Honey has bucked odds like that before. Morey wins only 6 percent with first-time starters.

"Any filly that wins first out has a soft spot in my heart because I don't have many debut winners," Morey said

Morey said he is taking advantage of being able to stretch out Green Lite Honey and try her on turf in the same race.

"Often, you're not able to try one or the other, especially with 2-year-olds," he said.

Four of her rivals will also be making their turf debuts, but Green Lite Honey is the only entrant that has yet to try racing a mile.

Diamond Commander won her maiden at that distance in her last start. Starstream has 1 win and 2 seconds in 3 tries at a mile. Both Betterwinsome and Salt Castle have run third at the distance. Nina's Cajun was fourth in her mile debut.