Highness to tackle Magic Millions qualifier in tribute to Doyle
Harron syndicate-owned colt shakes ‘puppy fat’ as two-year-old prepares for Gold Coast campaign
James Harron’s racing partnership will head to Wyong today with promising colt Highness (Snitzel) in the hope of unearthing a Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) contender, but sadly a long-term member of the powerful syndicate won’t be there.
Popular Sydney-based owner and breeder Fergus Doyle – a backer of the Harron syndicate since its inception about a decade ago – died last month after a long illness, but not before enjoying the group’s latest crop of talented two-year-olds winning multiple early season stakes races.
Doyle died on November 10, about six weeks short of his 77th birthday, after colts Espionage (Zoustar) won the ATC Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) and Bodyguard (I Am Invincible) landed the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at Flemington.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Espionage is being aimed at the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m), while Bodyguard’s early autumn aim is set to be the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) in Melbourne.
Bodyguard is trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, the father-and-son operation which also prepared the Harron-owned 2016 Slipper winner Capitalist (Written Tycoon).
Doyle had the honour of leading in Capitalist, now a prominent stallion on the Newgate Farm roster, after his stallion-making Slipper victory, a win that undoubtedly provided Harron with legitimacy, and his supporters with the thrill of a lifetime.
In that never-ending search for more stallion prospects – the first crop of another Harron syndicate graduate – dual Group 1-winning two-year-old King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice) – will have his first crop yearlings sell in 2024, while Highness lines up in today’s $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m).
A $900,000 Magic Millions Yearling Sale graduate, one of five colts bought by Harron from the 2023 Gold Coast sale, the Michael Freedman-trained Highness won a barrier trial on September 18 at a Randwick session dedicated to two-year-olds, as a lead in to his sixth place in the Breeders Plate won by Espionage.
“He had quite a bit of puppy fat that first prep and he was probably a little bit underdone for the Breeders Plate and he probably could have gone into another race [that preparation],” Harron told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He looked better after the race than he did before. He just had an easy time going into it and we’ve given him that couple of weeks to freshen up and he’s so much better for it.
“His puppy fat is gone, he looks terrific, very strong, very powerful colt.”
Tommy Berry will ride Highness ($7) at Wyong where Spywire (Trapeze Artist), an impressive Rosehill winner on November 15, is the $1.65 favourite.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Spywire was scratched from the Phelan Ready Stakes (Listed, 1000m) in Brisbane last Saturday when his trainers chose not to travel him from Sydney to Queensland due to a poor blood picture.
The Waterhouse and Bott-trained filly Toque (Street Boss), a winner of two barrier trials, is the $3.40 second favourite.
Harron said: “We earmarked him [for the Magic Millions] and we’ve got time for him to have a couple of runs before the Gold Coast, but we’ll get through Wednesday and hopefully he can put his best foot forward and make it an easy decision for us.”
Reflecting on his association with Doyle, Harron said he had enjoyed some special experiences with his client just this year by travelling to the UK together in June.
“He loved his racing and he raced horses for a lot of his life … and he had great success with it and he was just a pleasure to deal with,” the agent said.
“He was over at Royal Ascot with us in June and we went and visited Frankel and everything else, so it was great to be able to do all that with him.
“He was a very humble man, he had time for everybody and there’s been a real outpouring from people in the industry still coming in with messages about how much they liked him and how much they liked catching up with him for a beer at the races.”
The stakes wins by Espionage and Bodyguard in the twilight of Doyle’s life “was really special”.
Harron added: “He got to enjoy those and it was a really good start to the season and his family will be able to keep going with those.
“It was a special start and he got a lot out of it – he enjoyed it thoroughly.”
Doyle agisted his broodmares at Glenn Burrows’ Willow Park Stud at Scone.