James Harron Lands Tattersalls July Sale Topper

James Harron had just one lot in his crosshairs on the final day of the Tattersalls July Sale July 12 and ensured his journey from New South Wales in Australia to Newmarket in England was not made in vain when he secured the progressive New King with a bid of 450,000 guineas (US$591,712).

The 3-year-old son of Frankel showcased his star potential with an eight-length romp in a Sandown handicap on his most recent start, and such a major update had not gone unnoticed as six-figure bids were soon flying back and forth across the Park Paddocks ring.

Harron was plainly in no mood to be denied, however, and instantly batted back the efforts of Jono Mills and Gassim Ghazali with sharp nods of the head from his position in the seats opposite the packed gangway, where the underbidders were stationed.

"He's a lovely horse, he's the one I came here to look at, and I was really pleased when I saw him," said Harron, whose accent remains unmistakably Northern Irish despite having been based in Australia since 2011. "He's not overly big, but he's a real quality type of horse. He's got super race form, and he's sitting at a rating that a lot of good horses who've come out of England and gone on to do well in Australia have had.

"He's been bought for a group of my clients back in Australia, so we'll get him back there and hopefully have a bit of fun with him. We haven't worked out who'll train him just yet, though."

Consigned by Jamie Railton on behalf of Qatar Racing, which bred the colt out of the group 3-winning Desert Prince mare Marine Bleue, New King won two of his five starts under the care of John Gosden and changed hands with a peak Racing Post Rating of 105.

Harron may not be a regular visitor to European auctions, but this is not the first sale topper he has landed outside of Australia, where he is routinely among the leading purchasers, securing the likes of the €1.5 million ($1,999,200) Dubawi filly Propel at Arqana's 2013 August Sale.

"I haven't been here for a few years, but I came specifically to see him, and I'm pleased I did," Harron said. "We all know how hard it is to find horses who've performed to that level, but he's been really well looked after and has been well managed, so there's some really good upside to him heading to Australia.

"There's a few options as to whether we bring him out early or leave him here for now and bring him out for the main carnival. We'll just have to sit back and take a look. He doesn't have to go straight to a big race, though."

European imports have performed notably well in Australia's lucrative staying and middle-distance races—including the likes of recent Lexus Melbourne Cup (G1) winners Cross Counter, Rekindling, and Almandin.

"(European-bred horses) have been very dominant in Australia. They've been doing extraordinarily well," Harron said. "His profile really suits what we're looking for, especially having looked back over what's worked over the last few years."

Harron's purchase sees New King become the second-most-expensive lot ever sold at the Tattersalls July Sale, usurping Wednesday's session topper, the 420,000gns ($549,574) At Last, who will also head to Australia after being bought by Mick Flanagan.

Two lots before New King took his turn in the Tattersalls ring, his year older half brother, Military Law, a son of Dubawi, sold to Nasir Askar for 110,000gns ($144,641). Connections suggested they would now plot a route to the Dubai Carnival for the three-time winner.

Gassim Ghazali has been in typically prolific form at this year's July Sale and went to 160,000gns ($210,387) to add the upwardly mobile Make A Wish to his haul during Friday's morning session.

The Michael Tabor-owned daughter of No Nay Never enhanced her appeal by winning a Sandown handicap since the publication of the catalog. That victory, for which she achieved an RPR of 91, meant she left the care of Simon Crisford after winning two of her six races.

"She comes with a nice update," said Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock's Will Douglass, who assists Ghazali at Tattersalls. "Those handicaps on Eclipse day are hard to win, and I thought she was impressive. 

"She'll qualify for a lot of races in Qatar, and I think (her sire) will work there, too. They seem to like fast ground. She has quality, is by a good stallion, and should appreciate running around a bend in Qatar, so hopefully there might be some more improvement in her."

During the third and final day of the sale, 160 of 169 lots were sold for an aggregate of 4,071,700gns ($5,353,939), which was up 28% from last year, while the average of 25,448gns ($33,462) was a 46% jump and the 13,000gns ($17,094) median was up 30%. The Day 3 clearance rate was 94.7%.

Overall, the July Sale totaled 12,748,800gns ($16,721,528) over three days of selling, which saw 535 lots sold for an average of 23,830gns ($31,255), up 11% over 2018. The median of 12,000gns ($15,779) was up 20% from last year's overall median of 10,000gns. The overall clearance rate of 93% was up 7% from last year's 87% rate.