Page 64 - February 2021

Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding
APOLLITICAL GOLD si 96, $972,659
Apollitical Gold wins the 2020 Golden State Million Futurity -G1
Breeder: Grant R. Cox Revocable Trust Owner: Grant R. Cox Revocable Trust Trainer: Eddie D. Willis
Jockeys: Jimmy Brooks, Cody Smith & Justine Klaiber
2020 Record: 9-4(1)-2-3(2), $972,659
Golden State Million F.-G1, 3rd All American F.-G1, Los Alamitos $2 Million F.-G1
Apollitical Gold is truly a family horse. Rex and Sue Cox, parents of owner/breeder Dr. Grant Cox, started the bloodline more than 40 years ago. The gelding also played a major role in his trainer, Eddie D. Willis, winning his first Champion Trainer title.
“This horse has been really special,” said Cox. “My dad bought this horse’s great-grandmother in 1977, and so it’s really been kind of full circle. My dad told me to breed to Apollitical Jess, and then with what Eddie did with him—it all worked out.”
Oh Mickey Go, the third dam of Apollitical Gold, was a yearling in 1977. She only won twice, but “most of our horses have come from that mare,” Cox said.
Oh Mickey Go’s last foal, Oh Strawfly Go, by Strawfly Special, is the second dam of Apollitical Gold. Oh Strawfly Go produced SRC Gold, the dam of Apollitical Gold, when bred to PYC Paint Your Wagon.
Cox said that his dad fed Apollitical Gold every day as the youngster grew up in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Willis started him at Remington Park. He broke his maiden in his trial for the All American Futurity-G1 and ran third in the final at Ruidoso Downs.
But Apollitical Gold truly sparkled once Willis took him to Los Alamitos. In his first race there, Apollitical Gold won his trial for the Golden State Million Futurity-G1. He only qualified the ninth fastest, but that didn’t matter when it came time for the Nov. 1 final.
Sent off as the 12-1 sixth choice and ridden by Justine Klaiber, Apollitical Gold outbroke the entire field and held off Aint She Tempting to win by a neck.
For Cox, Willis, and Klaiber, the Golden State Million marked several firsts—the richest win ever for Cox, the richest at Los Alamitos for Willis, and Klaiber became the first female rider to win a million-dollar race at the track.
Apollitical Gold finished the year by qualifying for the Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1 and running third in the final. That boosted his earnings to $972,659.
APOLLITICAL JESS
si 107
Bred by: Juan Alberto Tirado Lizarraga
Raced to 3 • $1,399,831 14-8(2)-4(2)-0
911 foals, 81 SW Progeny Earnings: $37,782,202
MR JESS PERRY si 113 Bred by: Jesse Perry Raced to 4 • $687,184 21-12(5)-2(1)-0
1,888 foals, 155 SW Progeny Earnings: $58,367,523
STREAKIN LA JOLLA si 99 Bred by: B F Phillips/Delbert Smith Raced to 3 • $56,227
8-8(1)-0-0
1,533 f, 87 SW • $25,111,170
STREAKIN SIX si 104
BOTTOM’S UP si 82
SCOOPIE FEIN si 99 Bred by: Dr. & Mrs. D.G Strole Raced to 4 • $15,807 20-6-3-4
8 f, 1 SW • $837,511
SINN FEIN si 98
LEGS LA SCOOP si 95
APOLLITICAL TIME si 104 Bred by: Vessels Stallion Farm LLC
Raced to 6 • $904,242 35-14(10)-7(2)-5(4)
11 foals, 1 SW Progeny Earnings: $1,523,868
APOLLO TB
Bred by: Eclipse Invest/Leon Rasmussen Raced to 6 • $354,475 23-5(2)-4(4)-4(3)
736 f, 36 SW • $14,699,395
FALSTAFF TB
TUMBLE ALONG TB
HALF TIME ATTRACTION si 96 Bred by: Tom Carlson/Vessels SF LLC Raced to 2 • $14,734
11-1-2(1)-2(1)
18 f, 1 SW • $1,032,161
FIRST DOWN DASH si 105
PYC PAINT YOUR WAGON
si 107
Bred by: Michael Pohl Raced to 3 • $889,581 16-7(4)-4(2)-2
1,534 foals, 118 SW Progeny Earnings: $37,013,537
CORONA CARTEL si 97 Bred by: Robert Etchandy Raced to 3 • $557,142 14-6(3)-3-0
1,968 f, 183 SW • $64,315,958
FAVORITE ATTRACTION si 88
HOLLAND EASE si 109
SRC GOLD
si 87
Bred by: Rex & Sue Cox Raced to 3 • $11,119 9-1-0-0
3 foals, 1 SW Progeny Earnings: $972,659
CORONA CHICK si 113
DASHIN FOLLIES
Bred by: Henry Brown Raced to 2 • $475 3-0-0-0
35 f., 3 SW • $1,676,861
STRAWFLY SPECIAL si 97
STRAWFLY SPECIAL si 97 Bred by: Dan & Jolene Urschel Raced to 4 • $222,920 26-11(1)-5(2)-3(3)
1,450 f., 79 SW • $25,832,929
DASHING FOLLY si 108
OH STRAWFLY GO si 93 Bred by: Rex & Sue Cox Raced to 3 • $1,965 4-1-0-1
8 foals, 2 SW
Progeny Earnings: $310,541
SPECIAL EFFORT si 104
FLY IN THE PIE si 99
OH MICKEY GO si 112 Bred by: George Schiesel Raced to 4 • $3,610 12-2-2-1
17 f, 2 SW • $261,299
THREE OH’S si 100
CALM BREEZE DECK
62 SPEEDHORSE February 2021
Los Alamitos