Harron Picks Vega Magic For Everest
James Harron began riding at six in Northern Ireland and is at the helm of his own bloodstock agency in Sydney. With the benefit of experience with Coolmore and the likes of Gai Waterhouse, the redoubtable George Smith, and internationally renowned bloodstock agent Hubie de Burgh, he was able to rise meteorically. He established James Harron Bloodstock, with offices in Woollahra in January 2011. Since then Harron has become a major buyer at the nation’s yearling sales.
Q: Last year you picked the horse which won The Everest. There are a lot of expectations from you this year. And you’ve chosen a racing star – Vega Magic. Firstly, what were the factors taken into account when selecting your horse?
A: We have been watching carefully ever since last year, however our major focus was always going to be on securing a horse that had proven its wellbeing this preparation as with sprinters current form is especially important. Vega Magic returned in the Bletchingly with a stellar performance, one which backs up the elite level of his form, while of course he was also a strong second in The Everest last year as favourite and after a very wide run. Almost as soon as he crossed the line at Caulfield we put everything in motion in terms of talking to the owners and also liaising with my own owners who have put up the capital for the slot so we could get things locked up as soon as possible.
Q: What are the expectations you have from your partnership with The Everest as a slot holder and also how do you expect the race and this format of racing to grow over the next 3 – 4 decades?
A: We are delighted with how the race was received in year 1 - it was the talk of the town not only in Sydney, but throughout Australia. There’s a great appetite for it, and people enjoy the point of difference of a race where the participants are chosen in this way. The Everest is already well established as a great addition to the Australian calendar and I would fully expect it to carry on as such for many years.
Q: Could you tell us a bit more about the other people co-own this slot with yourself. (Who they are and what do they do?) And were they also involved with the decision making process of selecting the horse?
[note: the slot is owned by a group of my owners, not co-owned]
A: The JHB Everest slot is owned by a group of my owners, who have all raced horses for many years. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including construction, agriculture and development.
Q: Would you say that the Vega Magic's Bletchingly Stakes victory could be considered his best till date?
A: I thought that his win in the Bletchingly was a top-notch return, though his form from last Spring is probably superior to that - he is a horse who gets better with each run in a preparation, so to return so strongly was a great sign.
Q: Please tell us about how JHB came into being? How were you involved with racing and thoroughbreds prior to JHB coming into being?
Click here to find a good background on JHB
Q: So far JHB has only focused on buying and selling or owning great race horses. Have you considered branching JHB out into owning a stud to breed and race the next generation as well?
A: We are very focused on being the best we can be in terms of a bloodstock agency, and with so many wonderful studs already in Australia, we are happy to use those for our clients’ breeding interests.
Q: How have you seen the industry changing and what are the changes you expect going forward?
A: I think that has been a good change, particularly in Australia, towards focusing on the racing product in terms of providing good prize money and a good race day experience for owners, and I think this is bearing good fruit in Australia. Going forward, like most aspects of the word nowadays, I see an increased focus on quality over quantity.
Published in EverestDiaries Issue 5, Vol 2
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Credit: Pallavi Shevade pallavi.shevade@secretariatsworld.com