Just a Kool Boy has golden opportunity in futurity
Just a Kool Boy ran a career-best race to win a division of the Golden State Million Futurity trials on Oct. 11 at Los Alamitos, finishing 400 yards in 19.80 seconds.
At the time, Just a Kool Boy had the second-fastest qualifying time, but has since inherited the role of fastest qualifier for Sunday’s $1.11 million final.
Golden Boi, the winner of the Ed Burke Million Futurity in June, had the fastest qualifying time from the trials, but will not start after suffering a bout of colitis in late October, trainer Valentin Zamudio said last weekend. With that development, no horse can sweep the track’s three seven-figure futurities, a series that concludes with the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in December.
The Golden State Million will be the futurity debut for Just a Kool Boy, but familiar territory for his trainer, Eddie Willis of Oklahoma. Last fall, Willis had a small stable at Los Alamitos and won the Golden State Million Futurity with Apollitical Gold, who was third in the All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs earlier that year.
Just a Kool Boy, a colt by Favorite Cartel owned by Adina Baker, did not have his first start until August when he finished third in a division of the All American Futurity trials at 440 yards, a difficult race for a career debut.
Since then, Just a Kool Boy has won twice, beginning with a 300-yard maiden race at Los Alamitos on Sept. 25. In the Golden State Million trials, Just a Kool Boy broke from the rail and led throughout, winning by 1 1/4 lengths as the 9-10 favorite.
“We waited on him a long time,” Willis told Los Alamitos publicity after the time trials. “He had little issues, so we waited. He’s doing good right now.”
Just a Kool Boy has every chance to show improvement, and will need to do so against more established runners such as In Hott Pursuit and Chizum, who were second and fourth in the Ed Burke Million Futurity; and Hallelujah Nights and Whizkey Glasses, who were third and fifth in the $200,000 All American Juvenile on Sept. 6 at Ruidoso Downs, the consolation to the $3 million All American Futurity.
In Hott Pursuit was second to Chizum in the Golden State Million trials. In Hott Pursuit had a trial time of 20.009 seconds, the same as La Blue Amore. In Hott Pursuit won a pill draw to determine which of them advanced to Sunday’s final.