McKenzie Honey back from layoff in Arapahoe Park Debutante

McKenzie Honey will have to overcome a layoff of nearly three months Saturday when she attempts to improve her career record to 3 for 3 in the $55,000 Arapahoe Park Debutante. The race for 2-year-old fillies will share a card with the $35,000 Silver Cup Futurity.

The Arapahoe Debutante will be run over 5 1/2 furlongs and goes with a field of nine. The Silver Cup is at the same distance but is restricted to 2-year-old colts and geldings who went through a designated auction in Colorado.

McKenzie Honey is the lone stakes winner in the Arapahoe Debutante, having accounted for the $53,000 ATBA Sales Stakes at Turf Paradise in her most recent start May 8. For her first start since then, she shows a series of works at Arapahoe. Nathan Haar has the mount for trainer Jonathan Nance.

The chief threat appears to be Galactic Princess, who won her debut July 4 in a maiden special weight race at Arapahoe. She tracked the pace and went on to 1 1/4-length win at 4-5. Galactic Princess is arguably the best-bred horse in the Arapahoe Debutante as a daughter of Ready’s Image and the General Meeting mare Western Hemisphere, who was a multiple stakes winner and earner of $417,575. Russell Vicchrilli has the mount for trainer Ty Garrett.

In the Silver Cup, Way Out West will be looking for his second straight stakes victory. He shuttled to a 4 3/4-length win in the $46,000 CTBA Futurity in his last start July 10 at Arapahoe. His rivals include Sherman T, a half-brother to past Silver Cup winner R Dub, and Bronc D C, a half-brother to both multiple stakes winner E F Five and past Silver Cup winner Aspen Mist.