Deep Dive: Gold Rush Futurity
Roughly 100 years before Centennial Park held their first race meet, Colorado was home to the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Thousands of Americans headed west seeking riches, under the famed slogan “Pikes Peak or Bust.” Nowadays juvenile thoroughbreds chase after their own metaphorical gold in the Gold Rush Futurity. Traditionally run over six furlongs, it is the marquee race for juveniles in Colorado.
The race was first run in 1950 at Centennial Race Track under the name Colorado Futurity as part of Centennial’s first racing season. According to the Littleton Museum, Centennial Race Track opened on July 4th, two years after the passing of the Parimutuel Act of 1948 in Colorado.
The first running was won by Kings Hope on September 2, 1950. According to Leonard Carn of The Rocky Mountain News Daily, “Kings Hope majestically clinched Centennial Park’s 2-year-old championship yesterday with a convincing victory.”
The six furlong Colorado Futurity was his third start at Centennial Park and second win. He had won a division of the Silver Stakes earlier in the year. Kings Hope also won the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs and was an important sire in Venezuela.
Finishing third in the inaugural edition was Phil D., who went on to be a frontrunner in the 1951 Kentucky Derby before finishing fourth to Count Turf. Phil D. had beaten Kings Hope two weeks prior in the Futurity Trial Handicaps when King’s Hope was struck in the eye by a rock causing his poor effort to finish fourth according to The Rocky Mountain News Daily.
The Kentucky Derby was far from Phil D.’s only claim to fame. He found most of his glory in California winning the Hollywood Laddie Stakes at 2, the San Felipe Stakes at 3, the San Antonio Handicap and Malibu Sequet Stakes at 4, and the San Pasqual Handicap at 6. At 5, he swept the most prestigious races on offer at Centennial, the Colorado Mile and Rocky Mountain Handicaps. He also won the Motor City Handicap in Detroit at 6. Phil D. retired with over $220,000 in earnings.
As a 3-year-old, Phil D. was allegedly sabotaged at Centennial Park. According to the Greeley Daily Tribune, in 1951 Phil D. suffered blunt force injuries to his legs which a vet confirmed were not typical racing injuries. Phil D.’s owner W.C. Martin removed all his horses from Centennial Park after the incident.
Phil D. stood stud from 1956 to 1968, where he sired Colorado-bred Phil Joy who was a stakes winner and earner of over $100,000 and California-bred Fighting Hodge who ran tenth in the 1960 Kentucky Derby.
Pedigreequery claims that Phil D. is a Colorado-bred, but I was unable to find evidence to support this. Equibase only has Phil D. listed as bred in the USA.
The Colorado Futurity existed for just three years, last being run in 1952. The most prestigious two year old race in Colorado was instead the Silver Stakes. In 1969 the Gold Rush Handicap was introduced for 3-year-olds over six furlongs and in 1971 the first official Gold Rush Futurity was won by California-bred Kidao.
After the introduction of graded stakes rankings in 1973, the Gold Rush Futurity was upgraded to a grade 3 in 1981. It held grade 3 status for 4 years. The most successful winner was 1982 winner Gaelic Action. He also won the Centennial Derby and placed in the grade 3 Ak-Sar-ben President’s Cup at 3. Gaelic Action was trained by Monk W. Hall, who still trains racehorses in Colorado at Arapahoe Park. 1983 racing season. The Gold Rush Futurity was moved to Arapahoe Park (then Downs) in 1984. The Gold Rush Futurity lost graded stakes status in 1985.
The Modern Era, 2010-present
In recent years, the Gold Rush Futurity has seen a return to competitive form on the national stage.
California invader Chips All In brought an undefeated record to the listed Gold Rush Futurity in 2011 when he won by a length and a half as the heavy favorite. As an older horse, he won the grade 3 San Simeon Stakes and grade 3 Eddie D Stakes leading up to a ninth place finish in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint behind Mizdirection. Chips All In stands in Wyoming.
Four years after Chips All In won the Gold Rush Futurity, Texas-bred Texas Chrome also brought an undefeated record into the race. Texas Chrome won the 2015 edition by 2 ½ lengths as the second choice. At 3 he was third in the grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes (won by future Horse of the Year and top sire Gun Runner) and second in the grade 3 Iowa Derby. Then Texas Chrome strung together wins in the Super Derby Prelude Stakes (Listed), grade 3 Super Derby and grade 3 Oklahoma Derby before finishing ninth in the 2016 grade 1 Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Texas Chrome stands in Arkansas.
Another Texas-bred made history in the 2016 Gold Rush Futurity. Gray filly Bling on the Music also brought an undefeated record into the race and romped by a record setting 13 lengths also for Keane Thoroughbreds who owned Texas Chrome. Bling on the Music was the first filly to win the Futurity. In her next start, she finished third in the grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes but she never won again. Since Bling on the Music became the first filly to win three more fillies joined the club, although Arizona Kalei’s win in 2022 was in a strictly fillies division of the Futurity.
Bling on the Music sold for $260,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale in 2018 to International Equities Holding. As a broodmare she has produced 2019 gelding Atomic Tone, 2020 gelding Blame Shifter, a 2022 filly by Gun Runner and a 2023 colt by Not This Time.
Beaten by Bling on the Music in the Futurity were the fillies Galactic Princess and McKenzie Honey. Colorado-bred Galactic Princess suffered her first defeat when she finished third. She had previously won the Arapahoe Debutante and after the race she won the Arizona Juvenile Fillies Stakes. Beaten in the Arizona race was once again McKenzie Honey. McKenzie Honey won the ATBA Fall Sales Stakes after finishing fourth in the Gold Rush Futurity. At three, McKenzie Honey won the Arizona Oaks and Scottsdale Handicap both times beating Galactic Princess.
Galactic Princess was the Colorado-bred Horse of the Year in 2017 and 2018. She has a 2022 colt by Classic Empire named Classy Empire. McKenzie Honey has a 2023 filly by Dads Caps.
Colorado-bred legend Get Happy Mister is another important winner of the race. The 2012 Gold Rush Futurity was his first non-restricted stakes race. He led for the majority of the six furlongs, drawing off by a dominant 9 length victory. His final time of 1:08.63 is within a second of the 2011 track record.
After the Futurity, Get Happy Mister won the Northern Spur Stakes (Listed) over a mile at Oaklawn Park. At four, he returned to Arapahoe Park and won every time. The Colorado-bred was never defeated in his home state. Get Happy Mister retired after winning the black type Arapahoe Park Classic and the grade 3 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
After the 2012 Gold Rush Futurity, the race was downgraded to just black type. It was run as a black type race from 2013 to 2018 before having its black type status revoked until 2023 when it was regained.
Notable Colorado-bred Maius won the race in 2019 when it held no black type and won the Zia Park Juvenile Stakes (Black Type) in his final start at two.
Lite Ranchin Kid is the reigning champion of the Gold Rush Futurity. He won gate to wire by a widening 5 ¼ lengths. The California-bred gelding has since finished fifth in the Manzano Stakes (Black Type) at Albuquerque and third in the Zia Park Juvenile Stakes (Black Type) behind American Rascal, son of two-time Royal Ascot winner Lady Aurelia.
Like the gold rush the race was eventually named after it saw winners who won big and those who went bust. But, like the gold rush, the race’s legacy will forever stand.
Photos: (1)- Lite Ranchin Kid winning the 2023 Gold Rush F., (2) 2019 Gold Rush winner Maius, (3)- 2016 Gold Rush third Galactic Princess, (4)- Phil D. (Photo courtesy of Colorado Historic Newspaper Association), (5)- Kings Hope winning the inaugural Colorado Futurity (Photo courtesy of Colorado Historic Newspaper Association).
