‘He’s great in his head and physically he looks fantastic’
Harron’s quality colt Bodyguard touted to make his return at Rosehill
Bloodstock giant James Harron is confident that after a chequered juvenile campaign, powerhouse colt Bodyguard (I Am Invincible) can prove he belongs in the top band of Australia’s three-year-olds as he begins his campaign to make himself a stallion at Rosehill on Saturday.
That program is targeted at the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington on November 2, but it may also include a less traditional stallion-maker – but a race Harron believes fits that bill absolutely – the $20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 19, for which Harron owns a slot.
The top purchase for Harron’s colts partnership last year at $1.6 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Bodyguard’s immense promise was hindered by misfortune in his two-year-old season.
He was two-from-two when a dynamic two-length debut win in the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) was followed by victory in the Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (Gr 3, 1100m) four months later.
That earned him favouritism for the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), but he was controversially scratched on race eve by Racing Victoria vets, citing lameness trainer Peter Snowden insisted wasn’t there.
Preparation interrupted, Bodyguard managed only fourth in a classy edition of the Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick, and connections abandoned a difficult season after his no-show 14th in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).
The disappointment of unfulfilled expectations at least brought one positive when Bodyguard was able to enjoy a lengthy break at Harron’s go-to spelling venue, Peter McMahon’s Kolora Lodge south of Brisbane.
Nourished by the Queensland sun, Bodyguard showed the benefits when he returned a bigger and stronger three-year-old and blitzed a Rosehill barrier trial by 6.19 lengths on September 16 under Tommy Berry.
And while allowances must be made for the fact he beat a field of mostly stayers over 1030 metres, the excitement among connections is bubbling as the grandson of Slipper winning mare Mossfun (Mossman) prepares to resume in Saturday’s Heritage Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Rosehill.
Though on the bottom rung of black type, the race has a distinguished honour board as the kick-off to many good horses’ spring campaigns. Recent winners include subsequent Coolmore Stud Stakes winners turned sires, Ozzmosis (Zoustar) in 2023 and Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) in 2022, while in 2002 it was the launch pad for the triumphant Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) campaign of Lonhro (Octagonal).
Harron said the chunky Bodyguard had definitely shown himself to be less of a Guineas prospect than sprinter, and he hoped the colt could follow the path of Ozzmosis and Home Affairs to victory in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
“He’s come back very nicely. He’s great in his head and physically he looks fantastic,” Harron told ANZ Bloodstock News. “He’s a happy, healthy horse.
“Tommy Berry was particularly pleased with the feel he gave him in his trial. Yes, he was able to go out and dictate, but he was also able to run some nice fast sectionals coming home. That’ll gives us the confidence for this weekend.
“We’ll definitely keep him sprinting. Ultimately, we’d like to get him back to Melbourne, with the Coolmore his final destination. He’s been good down the straight already, winning his first start there as a two-year-old, so that gives us confidence.
“The Heritage will be a great guide. Home Affairs and Ozzmosis have won it in the past three years – two Coolmore winners. It’s proven to be one of the key lead-up races for three-year-olds, and it’ll tell us a lot about where Bodyguard should go next.”
Australian racing fans are being treated to a smorgasbord of second-season talent this term, with the likes of Growing Empire (Zoustar), Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot), Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) and Storm Boy (Justify) just the tip of the three-year-old iceberg.
Harron is confident Bodyguard will prove himself worthy of ranking among the top handful.
“It feels like a very deep crop. I know, speaking to different owners and trainers, they’ve got very high opinions of their horses, so it’s going to be a great season,” he said.
“We saw the two fillies not only run in the Moir Stakes but run placings – Hayasugi and Lady Of Camelot. We’ll see a fair bit more of that – three-year-olds against older horses – in the next few weeks. I dare say we’ll see some three-year-olds in The Everest. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep matching up against the older horses.
“But I really do feel Bodyguard deserves to be mentioned in the top half dozen or so.
“I think he would’ve been extremely hard to beat in the Blue Diamond; he was trending well into that race. After he missed that race, the Slipper was a complete forgive.
“He’s done a great job really, for a lightly raced horse. Just seeing that physical and mental development, seeing that in his barrier trial, and after listening to Tommy’s feedback from his trial, hopefully he’ll put himself into that top echelon.”
If there are three-year-olds in the Everest – seeking to emulate past winners from that age group in Yes Yes Yes (Rubick) and gelding Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) – Bodyguard could be one of them.
He firmed in calculations to contest the race after Harron’s main candidate Espionage (Zoustar) was sent for a spell after incurring a minor injury two weeks ago.
If he does, Bodyguard would be following the same path Home Affairs took towards winning the Coolmore Stud Stakes in 2021 – before becoming a barnmate of Yes Yes Yes at the farm of the same name.
And while Group 1s such as the Coolmore are always key items to have on the CV of a prospective sire Harron – a renowned stallion-maker himself – feels the non-black type Everest should be regarded as every bit as useful.
“The ultimate goal would be to win a big one with Bodyguard, because he’s got the pedigree, he’s got beautiful credentials at two, and he’s got the looks, so you’ve got to give him every opportunity,” he said.
“We’ve got the option of The Everest there. It’s something we would like to do, if it’s the right thing to do.
“I do really like the path. It’s the same as Home Affairs went – a few trials, then Heritage, then three weeks to The Everest, and two weeks to the Coolmore. It’s the right path, we’ve just got to rely on how he performs, and what Tommy and Peter’s feedback is.
“The Everest is as good as winning a Group 1, no question. The world knows the race and the strength of it. It’s obviously very hard to win. It always rates very highly, and for good reason.
“When you beat older horses and the best in the land, I don’t think there’s any better advertisement, to be honest.
“But if we don’t think The Everest is the right race for him, we won’t do it.”
Meanwhile, connections of one confirmed Everest slot horse – Bustling (Frosted) – will decide on Wednesday whether he also runs in the Heritage as a lead-up.
Bustling was confirmed in the slot of new owners Max Whitby, Col Madden and Neil Werrett when purchased for $2 million in May after winning four of his first five starts in Perth.
While new trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr cautioned he would draw considerable benefit from his first-up run in the Run To The Rose (Gr 2, 1200m) at Rosehill on September 14, Bustling was disappointing when a fading second-last of nine in that event.
The gelding is nominated for the Heritage, but Kent said a decision on whether he lined up there or was kept for the following weekend would be made later this week.
He told ANZ Bloodstock News: “There’s a few things we’ve played around with” in regard to Bustling since his first-up run, and that the co-trainers would speak with the horse’s owners before deciding his next start”