Neal and Pam Christopherson are the definition of lifers. Their start in the industry is not unusual; Neal grew up on a farm with horses and cattle. Pam says they were “made” as horse people. So when it comes to Thoroughbred racing, breeding, training, and ownership—roles the 73-year-old Christophersons have been a part of in their career—the passion is abundant.
Their Hermiston, Ore., Bar C Racing Stables has seen success in the Pacific Northwest that includes seven Washington state champions bred in their names, another four in partnerships. They also bred three Oregon champions as well as Galilean , the 2018 leading California-bred 2-year-old. Galilean, who earned nearly $600,000, led to the Christophersons being honored with the 2019 California Diamond Award.
But for all that they’ve done in the past, the last few months have seen some new heights for the couple.
Last year they were inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame, and then at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the Christophersons had their first million-dollar horse sell.
“We bought a mare (Forever for Now) out of the Hill ‘n’ Dale consignment and she was in foal to Uncle Mo . So we paid $210,000 for her,” Pam Christopherson said of their 2021 Keeneland November purchase.
That foal sold for $1,350,000 to M.V. Magnier out of the Penn Sales, agent, consignment and was sent to Ireland, where the colt is in training under the guidance of Aidan O’Brien.
The Uncle Mo colt bred by the Christophersons sold for $1,350,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale
But the cherry on top might be the Christopherson-bred Big City Lights , who won the Feb. 10 Palos Verdes Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park—the first graded stakes victory on the Christophersons’ resume.
The Christophersons discussed their start, their thoughts on the state of racing in the Pacific Northwest, and more.
BloodHorse: How did you get your start in the industry?
Pam Christopherson: (Neal) was rodeoing, I had a barrel horse that was just off the racetrack. We ran a race I think the night before we got married. We had Quarter Horses for a while there in Oregon. Quarter Horses then kind of got into Thoroughbreds. We both had a trainer’s license. I trained for about three years and we ran all over the Northwest.
Neal Christopherson: We had to pay too much money to get into a (Quarter Horse) race, and if you didn’t finish fifth or better, you didn’t get any money back. I was watching those Thoroughbreds with their $100,000 purses and just to get in you just have to meet the conditions. I figured we were just beating our head against the wall, so we started transitioning into Thoroughbreds.
BH: What was the biggest challenge in making that transition?
NC: They don’t train like Quarter Horses.
PC: We segued off into breeding. We had a couple Thoroughbred stallions standing in place, and then a friend of ours at Overbrook Farm gave us a call about a half brother (Harbor the Gold) to Boston Harbor. He did good on the West Coast—nice babies. … His first foal to the track (Noosa Beach) won the Longacres Mile (G3). He had a lot of 2-year-old runners and stakes winners.
NC: Bo Davis was his name. He was the broodmare manager for Overbrook and he had these friends that had this colt they were running in New York. (The colt) injured himself. … Everything changed overnight when we got Harbor the Gold.
BH: What are your operations like today?
PC: We have several stallions in place right now. We’ve got three mares in Kentucky with the Penn family at Pennland Farm.
BH: You bred Big City Lights, whose win in the Palos Verdes Stakes (G3) was your first graded stakes win. What does that achievement mean to you? And what do you remember of him as a foal?
Big City Lights wins the Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita Park
PC: It’s pretty nice to have and it does a lot for breeding programs. He was a nice foal. … He was talented. He was very smart.
BH: How would you describe the state of racing in the Pacific Northwest?
PC: In Washington, they are down to one track, and in Oregon they want to close down some of the tracks. It’s pretty hard. Pretty hard to race and to sell horses. The sales are down. We’re probably going to move some mares. … At least a half dozen or more tracks have shut down.
NC: That’s why we had to branch out and put some mares in Kentucky and Southern California. We wouldn’t get anywhere if we just ran in the Pacific Northwest.
BH: What do you think can reverse these trends?
NC: Get rid of the Native American casinos and lottery. When all you have to do is scratch a ticket to make money. Nobody wants to go to a track when they have to read and park; they have to know what they are doing. When you can go into a liquor store or someplace like that, buy a scratch-off ticket, and win $200, why go to the racetrack?
PC: It’s been hard with the Native casinos. … They’re helping with Emerald Downs. I think they bought all the land that Emerald Downs is on but they are not giving too much away.
BH: What’s next for you? Do you have any horses that you are excited about?
NC: Every year we try to get something better, do something better than what we have been doing. Try to change our luck.
PC: We’ve got the mama of Big City Lights (Champagne Exchange). She’s had some really nice babies. … I think we have nine yearlings this year going to the sale and two yearlings in Kentucky to sell.
NC: We currently have five stallions at our place. Right now, it’s hard to get rid of the stallions, nobody wants them. But they’re good.
BH: Do you have a favorite among the horses you’ve had?
NC: Just about every one of Harbor the Gold’s colts. The first season that they ran, we had three of them winning everything; every stakes race you can pick up they were winning. His horses had 48 stakes wins.
