Harbor the Gold a sire on fire

AUBURN, Wash. – If horses could portray human feelings, Harbor the Gold would likely be a proud poppa these days. Two of his progeny, Del Rio Harbor and Noosito, are expected to command the betting in Sunday’s $65,000 Emerald Downs Derby, and a handful of his babies will be featured in the Washington Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s yearling and mixed sale Aug. 26.

Pam and Neal Christopherson, who stand Harbor the Gold at their Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston, Ore., will be at Emerald Downs on Sunday to root for Del Rio Harbor, whom they own in partnership with Desert Rose Racing. A victory would push Del Rio Harbor’s earnings past $200,000 from just 11 starts. A victory by Noosito would be a welcome consolation prize, helping to boost Harbor the Gold’s brand name. Even for those on the inside, the race is too close to call.

“It could be either one of them,” Pam Christopherson said Friday. “They are so close, in running style and everything else. It’s hard to pick one. Unfortunately, they both ended up at the same track at the same time.”

Hermiston, about 250 miles southeast of Seattle, is off the beaten path in breeding circles, yet Northwest horsemen have been flocking to Bar C and Harbor the Gold, a son of Seeking the Gold who commands a stud fee of $5,500. Harbor the Gold’s first crop included two-time Washington Horse of the Year Noosa Beach, and his current band of 2-year-olds is fronted by Trackattacker, who set a track record for 4 1/2 furlongs in his debut and took the Emerald Express by 11 lengths in start No. 2.

“We had several Canadians come down with five or six mares, and we had a couple of Californians this year,” Christopherson said of interest in Harbor the Gold. “There have been a few more Harbor the Golds in California recently. We sent one down to try him on the turf, a horse out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. Among the Stars ran at Del Mar yesterday. Hollywood Harbor’s full brother won a couple of races at Golden Gate.

“But we still mainly get the Seattle and Oregon owners. Most of the people breeding to him are from the Northwest and want to stay here.”

Prominent in the WTBOA sales catalog for Aug. 26 is a full sister to Del Rio Harbor. She is Hip 98.

“We’ve got five going in, two fillies and three colts,” Christopherson said of Bar C’s consignment. “We have Del Rio’s full sister – she’s a little red filly that looks just like Del Rio. They’re just about twins. We also have a full brother to stakes winner Carrabelle Harbor.”

Overall, there are nine Harbor the Gold yearlings in the catalog. Many of his progeny have been blessed with blazing speed. Hollywood Harbor, one of the fastest, set a North American speed record for 5 1/2 furlongs. But as Del Rio Harbor and Noosito have demonstrated in their runup to the Emerald Downs Derby, the best Harbor the Golds have staying power.

“A lot of people say they’re just speed horses,” Christopherson said of Harbor the Gold’s offspring. “But they are not. Look at Noosa Beach, Del Rio ... they can route, too. They’re very good at carrying a distance of ground.”