Classy bunch meet up in Golden State Million Futurity Trials

Two qualifiers for the All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs on Sept. 7, including third-place finisher Apollitical Gold, and five stakes winners are among the 88 2-year-olds entered in 12 time trials for the Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos on Sunday.

The runners with the 10 fastest times in the 400-yard trials advance to the $1,104,550 final on Nov. 1, the first of two seven-figure futurities at Los Alamitos this fall. The Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity will be run on Dec. 13.

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Apollitical Gold and HR Princess Jess, who was promoted from seventh to fifth in the All American Futurity after a rival was disqualified for causing interference, are among a strong group of horses brought to Los Alamitos this fall by Oklahoma-based trainer Eddie Willis. Willis has runners in seven of the trials.

Apollitical Gold will be favored in the eighth trial, while HR Princess Jess starts in the 10th race. Willis also runs Best of You, the winner of the Laico Bird Stakes for Oklahoma-breds at Remington Park on April 18 who was later third in a division of the Heritage Place Futurity trials on May 8.

Best of You starts in the fourth race against Tuckk, who was fourth in the Ruidoso Futurity in June, and Cartels Legacy, eighth in the Governor’s Cup Futurity at Los Alamitos on July 25.

Constituent, winner of the Governor’s Cup Futurity, starts in the fifth race where his main rival is Jess Lyndes Reason, who was seventh in the Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos in June and second in a division of the All American Futurity trials on Aug. 21.

The local contenders are led by La Jaconde, who will be favored in the second race on the basis of a win in the Kindergarten Futurity in May and a third in the Ed Burke. Squid Word, second in the Governor’s Cup, starts in the ninth race.

California trainer Jose Flores has two unbeaten runners that will draw support - Jess Spice, who starts in the seventh race; and Counting the Ways, who starts in the 12th race.

Counting the Ways won the Pat Hyland Handicap at 350 yards on Aug. 23. His main rival is the filly Aint She Tempting, who won the Oklahoma Futurity at 300 yards at Remington Park on March 21 and was second by a head at 7-10 in the Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park on May 30.

Aint She Tempting was trained until recently by Monty Arrossa, but was part of a group of runners transferred by John Cooper. The filly will have her debut for Cooper in Sunday’s final trial.