Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
James Harron has started the 2023/24 season like a scalded cat and is hoping to unearth another future stallion prospect this weekend in the shape of Customized, who will bid to claim the scalp of highly rated colts Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) and Astapor (Tassort) in Saturday’s Group 3 feature at Eagle Farm.
Harron’s powerful colts syndicate has already tasted stakes success with three different juveniles this season courtesy of exciting prospects Espionage (Zoustar), Bodyguard (I Am Invincible) and Highness (Snitzel), all three of whom are stabled with different trainers.
Gallery: Some of the exciting prospects James Harron's colts syndication has enjoyed success with in 2023
Like Bodyguard, Customized is trained by leading 2-year-old trainers Peter and Paul Snowden, who also teamed up with Harron to take out the BJ McLachlan S. in 2019 with another star colt in King’s Legacy, a winner of the G1 Inglis Sires’ and G1 Champagne S. later in his juvenile season.
While King’s Legacy arrived at the BJ McLachlan S. with the benefit of a run under his belt, Customized will be under race conditions for the very first time on Saturday, an experience which Harron expects the Capitalist colt to derive great benefit from.
“He’s a very nice horse, but he’s not all there yet, he’s still putting it together mentally a bit,” Harron told The Thoroughbred Report. “King’s Legacy had probably shown us a little bit more at the same stage, he was mentally a bit more switched on.
“He’s (Customized) a very nice horse, but he’s not all there yet, he’s still putting it together mentally a bit.” - James Harron
“This guy has got quite a big, extravagant action, but we have seen nice progression from his first trial through to his second trial.
“He’s a horse we feel will enjoy getting up over 1200 (metres) and might appreciate a big open track, which is why we thought this race would be a nice kick-off point for him. We think he’s a horse that, down the track, might get over the 1400-1600 metre range, but we just want to see how he handles the whole experience.
“It remains to be seen whether he‘s an immediate get up and go type 2-year-old, or whether he is one who we should be patient with and give him a little bit more time, so we’ll just make plans after Saturday as to whether we press on or whether he has a break and comes back a bit later in the season for those longer distance 2-year-old races.”
Customized was last seen winning a Randwick barrier trial in decisive fashion on December 11, aided on that occasion by the addition of winkers. While they won’t form part of his gear on Saturday, Customized will have the assistance of ear muffs for the preliminaries and a lugging bit, in a bid to help make up for the raceday experience he is conceding to all six of his rivals.
While his most recent trial win wasn’t particularly flash on the clock, Harron felt there was plenty to like about the 1050-metre hitout and is keeping everything crossed that the tempo set by likely leader Storm Boy will suit his charge on Saturday.
“They went pretty slow in the trial, but what I liked about it was that he had a little bit of headgear on, which made him that little bit more tractable,” Harron said.
“When Tommy (Berry) pushed the button it just took him a couple of strides for him to find his action, but he just kept improving and improving, and right past the post he was really strong in his gallop out.
“When Tommy (Berry) pushed the button it just took him a couple of strides for him to find his action, but he just kept improving and improving, and right past the post he was really strong in his gallop out.” - James Harron
“Altogether it was a pleasing trial. The times didn’t give us a huge indication, but more to the eye it was pleasing. It indicated that he should enjoy race conditions, a bit of speed on and 1200 metres, so hopefully that is the case on Saturday.”
Keeping it in the family
Harron confessed that he has been caught slightly off guard by Customized’s apparent affinity for 1200 metres and potentially further, having initially had him pegged as a precocious speed horse in the immediate aftermath of his $400,000 purchase at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this year.
Customized as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“He was a lovely colt who moved well and had great shape to him - just a very athletic type of horse,” Harron recalled.
“He looked quite precocious and he did quite a bit of growing in that period. He came out at the first 2-year-old trials and just looked like a horse that was going to appreciate a little more time. He’s certainly developed and furnished into a cracking type.
“He (Customized) came out at the first 2-year-old trials and just looked like a horse that was going to appreciate a little more time. He’s certainly developed and furnished into a cracking type.” - James Harron
“It probably took me a wee bit by surprise that he does want that little bit more distance. He looks like a sharp horse, but he has developed and lengthened, so it’s all going to be very interesting to see how he puts it together on Saturday.”
By Harron’s G1 Golden Slipper S. hero and Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Capitalist, who now stands at Newgate Farm, Customized is out of a two-time winning Not A Single Doubt mare from the family of multiple stakes-winning juvenile Twilight Royale (Testa Rossa), whose five winners to date include this month’s runaway G2 Sandown Guineas winner Serasana (Snitzel).
It’s a family that Harron knows particularly well, having purchased Customized’s dam Single Sapphire (Not A Single Doubt) as a yearling for $520,000 on behalf of successful owner-breeder Belinda Bateman, who subsequently bred Customized out of the now 8-year-old mare and retained a share in the exciting prospect.
Capitalist | Standing at Newgate Farm
“She was a very nice filly by Not A Single Doubt and she’s thrown some beautiful types,” Harron said of Single Sapphire.
“She’s got a full brother (Lot 197) to Customized going to Magic Millions this year who is a cracking type, he’s probably a bit bigger and scopier than this guy, and she has a wonderful Home Affairs on the ground.
“I think she might make into a really good mare and obviously Not A Single Doubt is turning into a fantastic broodmare sire, and she in turn is out of an O’Reilly mare who is another great broodmare sire, so there is nice blood in the pedigree. Let’s hope they can run on the track.”
A blistering start
Harron’s current crop of 2-year-olds can certainly run, having already landed the G3 Breeders’ Plate, Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. and R. Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic courtesy of million-dollar yearling Espionage, $1.6 million purchase Bodyguard and $900,000 recruit Highness respectively. If that wasn’t enough, the leading bloodstock agent also had Breeders’ Plate fourth Fearless (Pierata) to look forward to this season.
Bodyguard is the most likely of that Harron-purchased quartet to trouble the judge in this year’s G1 Golden Slipper S. according to TAB’s All In market, which has the impressive winner of the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. as the $15 third favourite for the stallion-making contest behind BJ McLachlan favourite Storm Boy and Golden Gift hero Shangri La Express (Alabama Express).
Espionage and Highness both sit slightly further down the pecking order among a host of juveniles priced at $26, although Harron believes that picture could look very different in a month’s time.
“I’m remaining open minded as to who is the pick of the bunch,” he said. “I think it really comes down to the progression that they make from that first preparation to their second - it can be huge, but they can also plateau.
“By all reports and by looking at the horse, Bodyguard has come on beautifully - he’s a real standout to look at. Him and Espionage have probably put on just over 40kg each from that first preparation.
“By all reports and by looking at the horse, Bodyguard has come on beautifully - he’s a real standout to look at. Him and Espionage have probably put on just over 40kg each from that first preparation.” - James Harron
“Highness had a short break after the Breeders’ Plate and he came back a totally different horse. All the puppy fat was gone, he had great tone and he came to hand very quickly. He really looks in great shape.
“We’ll let them do the talking on the track and hopefully one of them can be the real deal. To have three very exciting colts with three different trainers is very pleasing and it’s a testament to all the hard work they do.”
Continuing the Legacy
Bodyguard, Espionage and Highness, as well as Saturday’s debutant Customized, were all sourced by Harron from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale back in January for a combined total of $3.9 million.
With less than a month to go until the 2024 renewal of Magic Millions’ flagship auction, Harron and his team have been busy doing the hard yards in the Hunter Valley over the past couple of weeks in search of the next crop of racetrack stars.
James Harron with Bodyguard and his strapper | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale was also the auction from which Harron sourced his two-time Group 1-winning juvenile King’s Legacy for a cool $1.4 million, and the leading bloodstock agent could hardly have been more impressed with the first crop of yearlings he has seen by the now Coolmore-based stallion, who is bidding to be the next sire sensation from the hugely influential Redoute’s Choice sireline.
“I was really happy with what I saw in the Hunter (Valley), and what was really pleasing was hearing all the positive comments from breeders about his line-up,” Harron said.
“I was really happy with what I saw in the Hunter (Valley), and what was really pleasing was hearing all the positive comments from breeders about his (King's Legacy) line-up”. - James Harron
“He’s obviously very well represented, so they’re not all going to be standouts, but I thought he had a cracking group of horses that look to have great temperaments.
“They’re good movers and I think the trainers will really like them. I’m very excited.”