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Harbor the Gold
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Overview | Conformation | Pedigree | Race Record | Progeny | Foal Photos | News
Read all of our exclusive Showcase Updates about Harbor the Gold here:
Harbor the Gold maiden winner romps by 13-plus lengths
Relishing the move from Emerald Downs to Portland Meadows, the first-crop Harbor the Gold gelding Git Rrr Dun Too turned his Oregon debut into a rout on October 14, when he dominated a maiden special weight sprint by an eye-popping 13 1/2 lengths.
Prior to shipping south, the 3-year-old runner had made a trio of starts in August and September at the $5,000 to $7,500 maiden claiming level, with his best effort in Washington coming in a fourth-place finish on September 24. But the Mark Jones trainee demonstrated an immediate affinity for his new surroundings when rain in the Portland area created a wet fast surface for his local welcome.
Under the guidance of jockey Robert Burney, Git Rrr Dun Too broke from the gate third among the eight starters assembled for the five-furlong test, and quickly set the tone when he took the lead a few strides out. At the three-eighths mark, his advantage was already five lengths clear of his closest rival; in the stretch, it increased to 10 lengths. From that point onward, Burney merely aimed his mount at the wire and the 6-1 gelding took care of the rest. His winning time of :57.43 was just shy of the track's :57.13 record for the distance.
Bred in Washington by Carol Noonan, Git Rrr Dun Too has earned $3,588 for owners Alan Bozell and Donel Matwiejow. The four-time starter is out of the unraced Jazzing Around mare Jazzy Sue.
His sire is the leader among all Oregon stallions who entered stud in 2005: Harbor the Gold, a winning son of Seeking the Gold. The Bar C Racing Stables resident has accrued more than $440,000 in progeny earnings from his initial two crops of racing age. - October 14, 2009
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Noosa Beach is Harbor the Gold's first graded stakes horse
Washington's 2008 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding, Noosa Beach, added to his career credentials on September 27, when he became the initial graded stakes performer for his sire, Harbor the Gold, with his third-place effort in the $278,902 British Columbia Derby (G3) at Hastings Race Course. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
Shipping north to Canada from his Emerald Downs base for the first time in his nine-race career, Noosa Beach was largely ignored at odds of 29-1 for the 1 1/8-mile dirt test, making him the second-highest longshot in the field of nine runners. Undaunted, the 3-year-old gelding broke second under rider Tony Gutierrez and instantly got involved in the pace scenario from a close-up running position.
After chasing the leader from an outside path through the opening six furlongs, which were clocked in a brisk 1:11.14, Noosa Beach tired in the lane, but re-rallied late to hold on to his hard-fought third, finishing 1 3/4 lengths behind his victorious stablemate, Winning Machine. He collected $27,715 for owner Jeff Harwood, who bred the gelding in Washington in partnership with his wife and trainer, Doris Harwood.
Noosa Beach has competed exclusively in stakes company, winning three of those events, since he broke his maiden by 4 1/2 lengths in his racing debut at Emerald Downs in August 2008. Overall, he has banked $140,840 as the highest earner for his dam, the unraced Basket Weave mare Julia Rose.
He is also the top earner for Harbor the Gold, Oregon's leading second-crop sire and leading sire of 2-year-olds in 2009. The 8-year-old winner by Seeking the Gold stands at Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston, and has lifetime progeny earnings of more than $440,000. - September 27, 2009
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Koala Beach, by Harbor the Gold, cruises in Gottstein Futurity
In an athletic display aptly described by Emerald Downs announcer Robert Geller as "a walk in the park," the 2-year-old Harbor the Gold gelding Koala Beach romped to the easiest of wins in the $67,500 Gottstein Futurity on September 26, collecting his second consecutive stakes victory by daylight and padding his sire's standing as Oregon's leader by juvenile progeny earnings in the process. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
After chasing his speedy cropmate, Hollywood Harbor, in three local stakes contests over the summer, Koala Beach broke through for his first black-type score as the 1-2 favorite in the Washington track's $50,000 Dennis Dodge Stakes on September 13 - a 6 1/2-furlong race which he wired by eight lengths. His Gottstein attempt mirrored those winning tactics.
Koala Beach and jockey Gallyn Mitchell broke on top from the inside post, then deftly controlled a slow pace by setting fractions of :24, :48.20, 1:12.60 and 1:36.60 for the first mile of the 1 1/16-mile dirt race, which had attracted six hapless contenders. The Doris Harwood trainee simply lengthened his stride as the wire approached, and ultimately stopped the clock in 1:42.80 with another eight-length advantage, a record win margin for the 72-year-old race.
"He's a real versatile horse, and I think he can win at any distance," Mitchell said of the 1-5 favorite, who elevated his career bankroll to $92,843 with his $37,125 share of the Gottstein purse. From six starts, the youngster has compiled three wins, two seconds and a third.
Bred in Washington by Bar C Racing Stables Inc., Koala Beach is the first foal out of Distinctive Cat's unraced daughter Kittyzallwet. He is owned by Jeff Harwood.
With year-to-date earnings of $187,301 accrued by his juvenile runners, Harbor the Gold is the runaway leader among all Oregon-based sires in this statistical category. The 8-year-old Bar C Racing Stables resident is also the state's leading second-crop sire of 2009 and reigning first-crop sire of 2008. - September 26, 2009
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Harbor the Gold notches two more first-crop maiden winners
Oregon's leading young stallion, Harbor the Gold, added another two maiden winners to his first-crop tally during a four-day span at Emerald Downs in mid-September. Wowie Maui and Niftys Hobby, each a member of his inaugural 2006 crop of foals, turned in front-running victories at the Washington oval.
On September 17, David Breiwick's homebred runner Wowie Maui led a seven-horse field from flag fall to finish in a six-furlong race on the fast main track. Ridden by Juan Gutierrez, the 3-year-old gelding posted fractions of :22.20, :44.80 and :56.80 and a final time of 1:09.40 for his initial career triumph in the $25,000 claiming test for non-winners. The three-time starter and 3-2 second wagering choice held a 2 3/4-length margin over his closest competitor at the end.
A Washington-bred, Wowie Maui is out of the winning Basket Weave mare Summer Straw. He is trained by Joe Toye, and has earned $10,133 to date.
Three days after her cropmate had his photo taken in the Emerald Downs winner's circle, Niftys Hobby posed for the camera as well. The Washington-bred filly, who is owned and trained by Neil Knapp, validated her 1-5 favoritism with a dominating performance against six rivals in a five-furlong sprint at the $5,000 maiden claiming level. Piloted by jockey Cassie Papineau, she was timed in :22.60 and :46 for the opening half-mile, and ultimately extended her advantage to four lengths at the wire, which she reached in :58.80.
Niftys Hobby, 3, was bred by Marie Monroe, and produced by Slewdledo's stakes-winning daughter Nifty Nite. In addition to her September 20 win, she has five placings and overall earnings of $9,604 from 13 starts.
Eight-year-old Harbor the Gold has reigned as Oregon's leading young sire on the strength of his initial two crops to race. The state's top-ranked 2008 first-crop sire is now the top-ranked 2009 second-crop sire, and is also chief among all Oregon stallions by 2009 juvenile progeny earnings. The winning son of Seeking the Gold stands at Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston. - September 20, 2009
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Koala Beach becomes fifth stakes winner for Harbor the Gold
Finally escaping the enormous shadow of his cropmate, three-time stakes winner Hollywood Harbor, the 2-year-old Harbor the Gold gelding Koala Beach got the opportunity to showcase his own abilities with a dominant, eight-length victory in Emerald Downs' $50,000 Dennis Dodge Stakes on September 13. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
The Washington-bred runner finished a distant second to Hollywood Harbor in the track's 5 1/2-furlong Northwest Stallion Strong Ruler Stakes on July 18 and third to that same rival in the six-furlong Premio Esmeralda Stakes on August 9, but narrowed the final margin between them to 2 1/2 lengths when he ran second in the one-mile Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association Lads Stakes on August 29.
Favored at odds of 1-2 in the 6 1/2-furlong Dennis Dodge when the connections of Hollywood Harbor decided to skip the race, Koala Beach broke first from the gate and quickly engaged three other speedsters in a four-way duel for the lead. Although his mount ran widest of all, jockey Gallyn Mitchell simply glanced over his shoulder upon exiting the turn and loosened his reins; Koala Beach responded by cruising to the wire unchallenged in a final time of 1:15.60.
Conditioned by leading Emerald Downs trainer Doris Harwood for her husband, Jeff Harwood, Koala Beach has banked $55,718, with two wins and three placings from five starts. He was bred by Bar C Racing Stables Inc., and is the first foal out of Hollywood Harbor's unraced half-sister, Kittyzallwet, by Distinctive Cat.
Later that day, the 3-year-old gelding Who's Your Next Ex also represented Harbor the Gold on the Washington Cup VII program with a runner-up effort in the $50,000 Trooper Seven Stakes. Ridden by Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo, he led early and gave way grudgingly late, reaching the wire 1 1/4 lengths behind the 17-1 winner, Quinalt. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
Who's Your Next Ex, a stakes winner at 2, has earned $48,143 from 10 starts. Bred in Washington by Kim Smith and produced by the winning Synastry mare Synanita, he is currently trained by Charles Essex for owner Kimberly Nobles.
Harbor the Gold has sired five stakes winners and the collective earners of more than $360,000 from two crops to race. The 8-year-old Seeking the Gold stallion holds court at Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston, Oregon. - September 13, 2009
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Hollywood Harbor leads huge weekend for Harbor the Gold
Continuing his dominance over the Northwest youth division, speedy Hollywood Harbor stretched out to a mile for the first time on August 29 and completed a rare sweep of Emerald Downs' initial three stakes for juveniles when he captured the $45,000 Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association Lads Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths over another runner from the second crop of Oregon sire Harbor the Gold, Koala Beach. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
Saddled by trainer Chris Stenslie and installed as the 2-5 favorite among eight starters on the heels of his runaway victories in the track's 5 1/2-furlong Northwest Stallion Strong Ruler Stakes on July 18 and six-furlong Premio Esmeralda Stakes on August 9, Hollywood Harbor set fractions of :22.80, :45.80, 1:10.20 and 1:22.80 over the wet-fast surface before he cruised home unchallenged in 1:36.40, just shy of the stakes record.
"I think he intimidates the rest of the horses because he's such a good horse," said winning rider Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo. "He's so good, and these types of good horses don't come around too often."
Hollywood Harbor is out of the multiple stakes-winning Slewdledo mare Miss Slewette. Sold for $21,000 as a yearling, the Washington-bred gelding has earned $70,101 from four starts for owners One Horse Will Do Corp. and John Holmes.
Tracking his cropmate in second throughout was the Doris Harwood trainee Koala Beach, who ran second in the Strong Ruler and third in the Premio Esmeralda for owner Jeff Harwood. The Washington-bred gelding concluded the Lads Stakes under jockey Gallyn Mitchell 9 1/2 lengths clear of the third-place finisher, padding his four-race earnings to $29,540.
A local debut winner on June 28, Koala Beach was produced by the unraced Distinctive Cat mare Kittyzallwet, a half-sister to Hollywood Harbor.
Both the winner and the runner-up were bred by Bar C Racing Stables Inc.
One day after Hollywood Harbor and Koala Beach completed the Lads Stakes exacta, another gelding from their sire's 2007 crop reached the Emerald Downs winner's circle. Washington-bred Bogachiel, the first foal out of Swiss Yodeler's daughter Alpine Song, was a two-length maiden winner at six furlongs for trainer Bonnie Jenne and owner/breeder Frank McDonald. Ridden by jockey Troy Stillwell in the $20,000 claiming race, Bogachiel stopped the clock in 1:10.60 and elevated his three-race bankroll to $8,631.
With six stakes horses and cumulative progeny earnings of more than $327,000 from his first two crops of racing age, 8-year-old Harbor the Gold is Oregon's leading second-crop sire of 2009. The Bar C Racing Stables stallion is a two-time winner by Seeking the Gold and a half-brother to 1996 Eclipse Champion 2-Year-Old Boston Harbor. - August 30, 2009
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Hollywood Harbor leads Harbor the Gold hit parade
The precocious Harbor the Gold gelding Hollywood Harbor strengthened his chances of earning a year-end title as Washington's champion 2-year-old male with his second consecutive blow-out stakes victory at Emerald Downs on August 9, followed in third by his 2007 cropmate Koala Beach, who collected his own second straight stakes placing. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
Gate-to-wire winner of the track's $31,275 Northwest Stallion Strong Ruler Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on July 18, Hollywood Harbor improved on that five-length victory with another runaway score in the Premio Esmeralda Stakes, which was contested at six furlongs and valued at $45,000. Partnered again with jockey Jose Zunino, the Wasington-bred employed the same speedy tactics to run the other five juveniles off their feet and tally his second win.
After breaking with interest from the gate, Hollywood Harbor set brisk fractions of :21.20, :43.80 and :55.60 as the 2-5 favorite, and was ridden out to the wire with a 5 1/4-length advantage in a final time of 1:09, equaling the stakes record.
"I was a little bit worried because he was going awfully fast," said winning trainer Chris Stenslie, whose charge pushed his three-race earnings to $45,351. "He just goes so easy, makes it look so easy. He's getting better and better, faster and faster. It's very exciting to be a part of this horse's success."
Produced by the multiple stakes-winning Slewdledo mare Miss Slewette, Hollywood Harbor is campaigned by Jody Peets' One Horse Will Do Corp. and John Holmes.
Koala Beach, runner-up to Hollywood Harbor in the Strong Ruler, closed for third in the Premio Esmeralda to improve his bankroll to $20,540. A winner in his local June debut, the Washington-bred gelding was ridden by Ricky Frazier for trainer Doris Harwood and owner Jeff Harwood. He is the first foal out of the unraced Distinctive Cat mare Kittyzallwet, a half-sister to Hollywood Harbor.
Both geldings were bred by Bar C Racing Stables Inc.
Two days before the talented 2-year-olds put on a show in Washington, the 3-year-old filly Aroseformadeline represented their sire as a gate-to-wire winner in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance race at Grande Prairie in Canada. The stakes-placed Leonard Hammrich homebred won for the fourth time from 12 starts, bringing her overall earnings to $14,570. An Oregon-bred, she was produced by the winning Katahaula County mare Cheyenne Rose, and is currently trained by John Harris.
All three runners are by 8-year-old Harbor the Gold, a resident of Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston, Oregon who currently reigns as the state's leading second-crop sire. Six of the first seven winners for the Seeking the Gold stallion have won or placed in stakes events. - August 9, 2009
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Washington champ nabs stakes placing for Harbor the Gold
The 2008 Washington Champion 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Noosa Beach, a son of Oregon's leading second-crop sire, Harbor the Gold, added to his lofty credentials on August 2 with his runner-up finish in the $50,000 Seattle Slew Handicap for sophomores at Emerald Downs. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
Racing as a homebred for owner Jeff Harwood and his wife, trainer Doris Harwood, Noosa Beach has made all eight of his career starts at the Washington oval, where he has compiled a record of four wins and three placings and a $113,125 bankroll. He has competed exclusively in stakes company since he broke his maiden by daylight in his August 2008 debut, and captured three of those stakes events carded at distances of 6 1/2 furlongs or less: the 2008 Captain Condo Stakes and the 2009 editions of the Pepsi Cola Handicap and the Auburn Stakes.
Asked to tackle 1 1/16 miles in the seven-horse Seattle Slew under the familiar guidance of regular rider Juan Gutierrez, speedy Noosa Beach battled head to head with Peaceful Reign throughout the race, and set the opening fractions of :23.20 and :46.20 when he led by a head on the outside of that rival for the first half-mile. But the 4.80-1 fourth wagering choice was no match for his stubborn counterpart, who finally passed him in the stretch en route to a 4 1/2-length victory. Noosa Beach held on for second, reaching the wire 2 1/2 lengths clear of the 9-5 favorite, Winning Machine.
Noosa Beach was bred in Washington, and produced by the unraced Basket Weave mare Julia Rose.
He is the top earner for the winning Seeking the Gold stallion Harbor the Gold, an 8-year-old resident of Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston, Oregon. - August 2, 2009
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Washington champ nabs stakes placing for Harbor the Gold
The 2008 Washington Champion 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Noosa Beach, a son of Oregon's leading second-crop sire, Harbor the Gold, added to his lofty credentials on August 2 with his runner-up finish in the $50,000 Seattle Slew Handicap for sophomores at Emerald Downs. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]
Racing as a homebred for owner Jeff Harwood and his wife, trainer Doris Harwood, Noosa Beach has made all eight of his career starts at the Washington oval, where he has compiled a record of four wins and three placings and a $113,125 bankroll. He has competed exclusively in stakes company since he broke his maiden by daylight in his August 2008 debut, and captured three of those stakes events carded at distances of 6 1/2 furlongs or less: the 2008 Captain Condo Stakes and the 2009 editions of the Pepsi Cola Handicap and the Auburn Stakes.
Asked to tackle 1 1/16 miles in the seven-horse Seattle Slew under the familiar guidance of regular rider Juan Gutierrez, speedy Noosa Beach battled head to head with Peaceful Reign throughout the race, and set the opening fractions of :23.20 and :46.20 when he led by a head on the outside of that rival for the first half-mile. But the 4.80-1 fourth wagering choice was no match for his stubborn counterpart, who finally passed him in the stretch en route to a 4 1/2-length victory. Noosa Beach held on for second, reaching the wire 2 1/2 lengths clear of the 9-5 favorite, Winning Machine.
Noosa Beach was bred in Washington, and produced by the unraced Basket Weave mare Julia Rose.
He is the top earner for the winning Seeking the Gold stallion Harbor the Gold, an 8-year-old resident of Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston, Oregon. - August 2, 2009
Emerald Downs stakes exacta tops big day for Harbor the Gold
A pair of juvenile runners by the budding stallion Harbor the Gold occupied the top two positions in Emerald Downs' $31,275 Northwest Stallion Strong Ruler Stakes on July 18, tightening their sire's grip on the title of Oregon's leading second-crop sire of 2009 in the process.
The Washington-bred geldings Hollywood Harbor and Koala Beach dominated the 5 1/2-furlong sprint, with even-money favorite Hollywood Harbor quickly translating an energetic burst from the starting gate into an insurmountable lead. Ridden by Jose Zunino, the Chris Stenslie trainee carried a four-length advantage at the quarter-mile mark, which he reached in :21.60, and left no doubt about the outcome as he motored to the finish a five-length winner in 1:03.60.
Turning in a strong effort of his own was the 9-5 second wagering choice, Koala Beach. With leading rider Ricky Frazier up, the Jeff Harwood runner chased his cropmate in second throughout and held the five other starters at bay to secure the runner-up check 1 1/2 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher.
Hollywood Harbor and Koala Beach were both bred by Bar C Racing Stables Inc. The former is out of the multiple stakes-winning Slewdledo mare Miss Slewette, and sold for $21,000 as his sire's top-priced yearling in 2008. Hollywood Harbor is owned by One Horse Will Do Corp. and John Holmes, and has earned $20,601 by scoring one victory and one placing from his first two starts. Koala Beach is trained by Doris Harwood, and has earned $13,790; he also totes one win and one placing from his initial two outings.
Two races after the 2-year-olds completed a stakes exacta at the Washington oval, 3-year-old Who's Your Next Ex added to their sire's credentials when he romped to his own fourth career victory in a one-mile allowance optional claiming event. A front-running, 5 1/4-length winner against six overmatched rivals, the Charles Essex-trained gelding pushed his eight-race bankroll to $39,393 when he reached the wire in 1:36.80 under regular rider Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo.
A Portland Meadows stakes winner at 2, Who's Your Next Ex was bred in Washington by Kim Smith, and currently races for owner Kimberly Nobles. His dam is the winning Synastry mare Synanita.
All three runners were sired by 8-year-old Harbor the Gold, a dual winner by Seeking the Gold who stands at Bar C Racing Stables in Hermiston, Oregon. From two crops to race, he is represented by six stakes horses and cumulative progeny earnings of more than $235,000. - July 18, 2009
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Harbor the Gold represented by runaway debut winner
Harbor the Gold solidified his status as Oregon's current leading sire of 2-year-olds on July 10, when he became the state's only stallion to be represented by two juvenile winners of 2009. Each of the successful starters from his 2007 foal crop won at first asking.
Like his counterpart Koala Beach, who broke his maiden on June 28, the first-time starter Fisher Creek controlled the proceedings in his own five-furlong debut at Emerald Downs 12 days later. Saddled by trainer Tim McCanna and ridden by jockey Seth Martinez, the gelding grabbed an immediate lead as the 2-1 wagering favorite and carved fractions of :22.20 and :45.40 for the first half-mile of the $20,000 maiden claiming test, increasing his advantage over the hapless eight-horse field with every stride.
The Washington-bred runner, who entered the race off a bullet five-furlong work at the track on July 4, reached the wire five lengths ahead of his nearest competitor in a final time of :57.40. He earned $6,572 for his owner, Dunn Bar Ranch LLC, in the process.
Fisher Creek is the fifth foal out of Pretty Peggy Slew, a durable daughter of Slewdledo who won or placed in 36 of her 56 lifetime starts during six seasons of racing.
Both Fisher Creek and Koala Beach were bred by Bar C Racing Stables, the Hermiston farm which stands 8-year-old Harbor the Gold. The two-time winner by Seeking the Gold was Oregon's leading freshman sire by progeny earnings last year, and currently ranks as the state's leading second-crop sire of 2009. - July 10, 2009
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