The racecourse of Arapahoe Park can be found in the town of Aurora, close to Denver, in the state of Colorado. It is famous not only for its thoroughbred racing, but also caters for the quarter horse racing enthusiasts, while often staging Arabian horse race meets. The inaugural meeting was held on 24th May 1984 on an 8 furlong oval track. That first effort only lasted one year before petering out, but the track owners relaunched the track in 1992. Today the 8 furlong oval track, with separate 7 furlong and 10 furlong chutes, share a 315 metre home straight, while the highlight of their thoroughbred racing season is the Gold Rush Futurity for 2 year olds over 6 furlongs. The season extends from mid-May to mid-August, with other feature quarter horse races being the Mile High Derby and Mile High Futurity. |
Gold Rush Futurity winners since 1976 (run at this track since 1984)
1976 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was run in 2 heats won by Bare Blade trained by Gary Thomas and ridden by John Lively, and by Miss Lauette trained by James Hughes and ridden by B Harmon
1977 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was run in 2 heats won by Sly Blade trained by Paul Lashmet and ridden by Kenneth Jones, and Wood and Wine trained by Mickey Hadley and ridden by Jim Paul Powell
1978 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was run in 2 heats won by Nativo Rango trained by Jake Pletcher and ridden by Kenneth Jones, and Bold Arrangement trained by Hoss Inman and ridden by Sam Maple
1979 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was run in 2 heats won by Silvers trained by Hoss Inman and ridden by John Lively, and by Broncomania trained by Kevin Eikleberry and ridden by Jack Keene
1980 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Paradin Cowboy trained by Hoss Inman and ridden by John Lively
1981 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Tropic Ruler trained by Brooks Claridge and ridden by Ramon Apodaca
1982 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Gaelic Action trained by Lynda Hall and ridden by Jimmy Mike Sanchez
1983 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Gold Plated Leader trained by Joseph Higgins and ridden by Timothy Alan Masters
1984 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Phil Barrera trained by Bart Hone and ridden by Frank Licata
1992 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Jacquesbequick trained by Duane Salisbury and ridden by Tammy Bradley
1993 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Sir Conway trained by Duane Salisbury and ridden by Tony McNeil
1994 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Runnenontulsatime trained by Lynden Branch and ridden by Donald Richard Bickel
1995 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Houseafire trained by J Doyal Roberts and ridden by Gilbert Villescas
1996 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Never Shamed trained by Ralph Andersen and ridden by Vince Guerra
1997 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Dramatic Jazz trained by Clay Finnell and ridden by Ray Charles Simon
1998 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Valleycreek Kid trained by C R Trout and ridden by Alex Birzer
1999 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Moonlight Maverick trained by Frank Green and ridden by Russell Vicchrilli
2000 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Lucky Chip trained by Ramon Gonzalez and ridden by Tome Rae Green
2001 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Bug Hall trained by Blake Rust and ridden by Ken Shino
2002 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Donny Boy trained by Ray Ashford and ridden by Kelly Bridges
2003 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was not contested
2004 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Railroad trained by Rudy Ramirez and ridden by Travis Wales
2005 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Ima Highway Star trained by Dominic Duree and ridden by Don Lee Frazier
2006 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Masters Hand trained by Tyrone Gleason and ridden by Ken Shino
2007 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Big Mission trained by Monk Hall and ridden by Orlando Martinez
2008 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Major Big Time trained by Walter Harris and ridden by Travis Wales
2009 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Maddox Who trained by Richard Osborn and ridden by Don Lee Frazier
2010 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Behold de Buy trained by James Jones and ridden by Glen Murphy
2011 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Chips All In trained by Adam Kitchingman and ridden by Aaron Gryder
2012 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Get Happy Mister trained by Kenneth Gleason and ridden by Michael Ziegler
2013 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Cloud Harbor trained by Henry Dominguez and ridden by Enrique Portillo Gomez
2014 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Passed Due trained by Temple Rushton and ridden by Miguel Fuentes
2015 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Texas Chrome In trained by Shea Stuart and ridden by Deshawn Parker
2016 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Bling On The Music trained by J R Caldwell and ridden by Luis Quinonez
2017 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Thermistor trained by J R Caldwell and ridden by Danny Sorenson
2018 The Gold Rush Futurity over 6 furlongs was won by Bloomin Perfect trained by Kim Oliver and ridden by Scott Stevens |
