Charger Bar was a dark bay that always seemed assured of her greatness.
Foaled in 1968 in Utah, Charger Bar was by Tiny Charger and out of the Rocket Bar (TB) mare La Ree Bar. Wayne Charlton was the breeder and original owner of the filly. As a 3-year-old, Charlton sold her to Drs. Ed Allred and Kenneth Wright, though he continued to train her throughout her racing career. Her jockey was James Dryer.
Off the board only four times in a career that spanned more than six seasons, she made 43 starts, all but seven of which were in stakes races. Coming back to the winner’s circle 28 times, she finished second three times and third six, earning $495,437. The second-richest racehorse of her time, Charger Bar amassed nine world and divisional championships in 1971 to 1974.
Charger Bar was the undefeated world champion in 1971 with seven consecutive wins. The filly defeated reigning world champion and rival Kaweah Bar in the Chicado V Handicap at Los Alamitos, trounced older horses in the Go Man Go Handicap at Los Alamitos and was victorious by a half-length (her shortest margin of victory for the year) in the $100,000 Los Alamitos Championship, where she clocked a :21.82, two ticks off world champion Pap’s stakes record.
At one point in her career, Charger Bar won 12 consecutive stakes events, almost double that of Easy Jet. She had many prestigious victories including the Champion of Champions, Los Alamitos Derby, Go Man Go Handicap (twice), Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (twice), Vessels Maturity and Horsemen’s QHRA Championship (twice).
As a broodmare, Charger Bar produced 14 foals, including 12 starter, 10 Register of Merit earners and 10 winners. Her first foal, a daughter by Ettabo named Proud Heritage, earned $69,733 and won stakes races at Los Alamitos. Proud Heritage was followed by a family of superior sprinters such as Go Proudly, a daughter of Sir Rambler who won added-money races at Bay Meadows and Los Alamitos, including the La Primera del Ano Derby (G1) and had earnings of $199,638.
Following her death at age 29 on November 6, 1997, Charger Bar’s ashes were scattered over the infield at Los Alamitos. Charger Bar was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2001.
Biography updated as of March 2001.