Apollitical Gold wins Golden State Million Futurity

Apollitical Gold, third in the $3 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs on Sept. 7, won his first stakes in Sunday’s $1,104,550 Golden State Million Futurity, providing Oklahoma-based jockey Justine Klaiber with an historic win.

Klaiber, 25, is the first woman to win the Golden State Million Futurity, a race first run in 1970.

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Klaiber had Apollitical Gold away from the gates in good order, racing alongside early leader Apollitical Patty. Midway through the 400-yard race, Apollitical Gold had a narrow advantage and won by a neck over Aint She Tempting, a filly who won the $383,725 Oklahoma Futurity at Remington Park in March.

Apollitical Gold ($26.80) ran 400 yards in 19.65 seconds. Aint She Tempting (11-1) finished a half-length in front of 36-1 J Best Boogie in a field of 10. Favorite Doc, the 9-10 favorite, bumped with a rival midway through the race and could not recover, finishing seventh by about 2 1/4 lengths.

A gelding, Apollitical Gold has won 3 of 7 starts and earned $737,389 for owner and breeder Grant Cox of Tulsa and trainer Eddie Willis. In the All American Futurity, Apollitical Gold was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by the undefeated filly Whistle Stop Cafe.

Earlier this year, Klaiber rode Apollitical Gold in his first two starts at the Remington Park winter-spring meeting – a third in a maiden race and a second in the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity trials. Apollitical Gold qualified for the $891.900 final but was withdrawn by Willis in favor of starts at the Ruidoso Downs meeting.

Willis said after the Golden State Million that Apollitical Gold will be pointed for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials on Nov. 22. The final will be run on Dec. 13.