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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
You can say this much for John Stewart, he doesn't think small. Looking to build a stable that can compete at the highest level not only in the U.S. but all over the world, the owner will compete in Sunday's G1 Japan Cup with his newest acquisition, the gelding Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {(Ger)}. Stewart purchased a majority interest in Goliath after he won the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at odds of 25-1. Since, he has won the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris Stakes at ParisLongchamp Oct. 20 as a prep for the Japan Cup. “My goal is I want the best horses racing all over the world,” Stewart said by phone from Japan. Goliath was so dominant in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth that Stewart believes he should be considered among the best horses on the planet. “I saw him run in the King George, and before that he really wasn't on my radar,” Stewart said. “And me and [Director of Breeding for Stewart's Resolute Racing] Chelsey [Stone] are big fans of Auguste Rodin, who he beat. We had visited him at Coolmore and we knew he was going to be retiring. We plan to breed to him with some of our horses because 80% of our program is turf. We're big fans of Aidan O'Brien, and we are good friends with the Coolmore team.” All signs point to Goliath, who is four, running a big race in Japan, but he will again have to beat, among others, Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), whose wins include the 2023 GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf and the 2024 G1 Prince of Wales Stakes for the Coolmore team. That's fine by Stewart, as he not only wants to win the biggest races in the world, but to beat the best horses across the planet. “I had fun with Coolmore,” Stewart said. “MV Magnier and I have become pretty good friends. They've sold me some great horses and when I bought this horse he asked 'where are you going to race him?' I said, I don't know, 'Where's Auguste Rodin going to race?' He said 'Why does that matter?' I said, 'Because that's where he is going to go race. I love those guys, but I want to beat them.” Stewart, who runs under the name of Resolute Racing, wants to take on all comers. “Think about it, in my first year I've had a horse in the Kentucky Derby,” he said. “I've had horses at Royal Ascot. I've had a horse in the Golden Slipper. I had a horse in the Everest and now I have a horse in the Japan Cup. It's fun. Who doesn't want to be in all those races?” When it comes to Goliath, he didn't have to be part of a bidding war that included the usual suspects. That's because Goliath is a gelding. While most owners who have the means to buy a horse of his caliber and looking ahead to when the horse can be retired to stud, Stewart doesn't think that way. Goliath | ScoopDyga “With the gelding, you don't have to buy a hundred percent of the horse,” Stewart said. “That's because there are no breeding rights. You just need to control the horse. You're going to see me do more of that.” Still, some wondered why anyone would pay a hefty sum for a gelding. “Remember, my operation is about breed to race,” Stewart said. “So I'm a firm believer that too many of our horses are being retired early.” After the purchase, Stewart could have gone in many different directions, including a start in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar. But he didn't believe that would be the best spot for his horse. “The reason we didn't go to Breeders Cup, the track is too tight,” he said. “It doesn't set up well for these foreign horses to come over and to run, especially the Europeans where the tracks are a lot wider and bigger and the turns are more sweeping. Trust me, I want to win the Breeders Cup and we finished third [in the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf] with Didia. To me, the ultimate races to win in the U.S. are the Derby and Breeders' Cup races. But with the track configurations it makes it tough for foreign horses. I'm a little frustrated that it's back-to-back at Del Mar.” Another race he wants to win is the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and he is hoping that French racing authorities change the rules so that geldings can compete. “If they want to say it's the best race in the world then geldings shouldn't be excluded,” he said. Stewart wants these races so badly that he often throws in incentives for the winning trainers and jockeys. He has promised jockey Christophe Soumillon and trainer Francis-Henri Graffard that he will buy them each a Porsche should Goliath win the Japan Cup. “I put out incentives for all of my jockeys and trainers,” Stewart said. “If you're a jockey for me and you win a Grade III, you get a $25,000 bonus. For a Grade II, you get $35,000, and for a Grade I you get $50,000. That all started in the New York Stakes with Didia. When Mike Repole and I kind of got into an argument, I told Jose [Ortiz] if he beat Repole, I'd give him a hundred grand. And so he did, and I gave him a hundred grand. I think aligning the incentives is really smart business.” Goliath | photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Stewart made his first big splash in racing when he spent lavishly at the 2023 November bloodstock sales. He was much quieter this time around. Why? “I had all these people saying I was broke,” he said. “People have no idea how much money I've spent in the industry in the last year. But they said John didn't show up, he must not have any money. Actually, I bought a business for $350 million in Germany during the sales. My private equity business is what affords me the opportunity to do all the stuff I'm doing in the horse industry. So I had to take care of that. I'm not the type of person that's going to have to send somebody else to the auction and buy all the horses because I'm involved in selecting the horses that we're buying. And so I've already got 53 yearlings for next year, and I bought a lot of mares as they were running this year, like Didia and others.” He wishes that more American owners thought the way he does. “In America, we're terrible about taking our best horses and going and racing them elsewhere,” Stewart said. “And that's something I want to do as I build my fan base in the US. I saw the Japan Cup as an opportunity to fast track that whole kind of agenda and create some excitement around this horse.” What's next for Goliath and Didia (Arg) (Orpen) or any of the other star horses he owns now or will in the future.? You can expect anything other than the ordinary. “There's an opportunity globally because I already have horses in Australia,” he said. “I bought some at Arqana and I'm going to have a few over in Europe. My goal is I want the best horses racing all over the world. I have some plans for Didia and when I'm ready to reveal that, I'll let you guys know, but it's going to shock everybody what my plans are for her. This is stuff that other people aren't doing. Because I'm the new guy, I can take more risks and chances even though people write me off. They say I don't know what I'm doing or I'm crazy or whatever. I know exactly what I'm doing.” The post Always Aiming High, John Stewart Ready To Tackle Japan Cup With Goliath appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
WHIP RULE BREACHES There is limited scope or discretion for an Adjudicative Committee to depart from the Penalty Guide when imposing a penalty for a breach of the whip rules. Any departure would need to be carefully evaluated on the basis of exceptional circumstances. -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Listed Prix Herod heroine Glamis Road (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 190) is one of two wildcards that were added to Arqana's Vente d'Elevage on Friday. The sale runs from Dec. 7 to Dec. 10 in Deauville. Offered by Baroda Stud, she was a winner in June on debut, and also ran fourth in the G3 Prix Miesque. The daughter of Pass The Moon (Ire) (Raven's Pass) is currently rated 100. This is the family of Grade I winners Vanlandingham (Cox's Ridge) and Funny Moon (Malibu Moon). Trainer Ollie Sangster said, “Glamis Road is improving and consistent, she showed her class in her best performance to date last time out when impressively winning the Prix Hérod. A mile won't be an issue and she's an exciting filly for next year to be targeting a Guineas trial in the spring.” The second new wildcard is the listed-placed Vasda (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}) (lot 226), who is part of the Coulonces draft. Trained by Joseph O'Brien, she is rated 98 and is out of the stakes-placed Regina Mundi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). The 4-year-old filly is also a half-sister to five stakes horses, among them G3 Prix d'Aumale heroine Rocques (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) and the listed winner Mea Domina (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}), who was also second in the G3 Gladness Stakes. The post Listed Winner Glamis Road And Vasda Join Arqana’s Vente d’Elevage As Wildcards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
Clear interference to me. Cut under its neck and took the other horse's line. I agree with the adjudicator and the stewards bringing the charge. Should happen more often to put a stop to this shit.
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
WinStar Farm is hoping to see plenty of activity come out of their stallion division in the near future. In 2025, the farm's flagbearer Constitution, currently ranked a top five general sire, will stand for a fee of $110,000 while his son and fellow WinStar resident Independence Hall will see his first 2-year-olds hit the racetrack. Also this coming year, Life Is Good and Nashville will be represented by their first crop of yearlings while Country Grammer and Two Phil's are expecting their first foals. Meanwhile, three new sires have been added to the farm's roster for 2025 with record-setting turf sprinter Cogburn (Not This Time), 2023 GI Champagne Stakes winner Timberlake (Into Mischief) and 'TDN Rising Star' Heartland (Justify). Fletcher Mauk of Small Batch Thoroughbreds was among the breeders that stopped in to check out the newcomers during the past few weeks of open houses at WinStar. “They're exciting stallion prospects,” Mauk said after inspecting the trio. “All three have good bone and nice feet. They were all accomplished as 2-year-olds, which I think is important for a lot of breeders to know that you have the opportunity to have something come running out of a mare. They're all three by very nice sire lines as well.” Four-time graded stakes winner Cogburn leads the charge of new recruits at WinStar with a $30,000 stud fee. He is one of six Grade I winners for Not This Time (featured in Saturday Sires here) and will be the first son of the fast-starting sire to stand at WinStar. WinStar's Liam O'Rourke reported that the multi-millionaire arrived at WinStar shortly after the Breeders' Cup and settled in immediately. “It's rare that you see a stallion come in and have as much composure and as much presence as he's had since the first day he came in,” he said. “He went up there, put his head down, walked like he'd been doing this for 10 years, stood up perfect and didn't move a hair. He's been incredibly well received, a beautiful horse who is going over very well with the breeding public.” Although Cogburn's biggest achievements came this year as a 5-year-old, including a record-setting GI Jaipur victory where he covered 5 ½ furlongs in 59:80 and another memorable win in the GII Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs where he completed six furlongs on 1:07.68, O'Rourke said that breeders are also taking note of his earlier resume. The Steve Asmussen trainee broke his maiden by over four lengths on dirt as a juvenile and was runner-up in the GIII Chick Lang Stakes on the main track the following year before he eventually switched to turf. “He really excelled as a 2-year-old and showed a ton of ability on the dirt,” said O'Rourke. “When Steve moved him over to the turf, he definitely hit another level. Speed is speed. It's something that we've always been attracted to here at WinStar. We've had a lot of success with horses like Distorted Humor, Speightstown and More Than Ready who had that really elite speed.” Fletcher Mauk said that he has plans to send an American Pharoah mare to Cogburn that was twice stakes placed going over a mile on turf. “For me, the big thing is incorporating speed into that pedigree,” he said. “More than likely we'll end up with a turf horse just given her female side, but you don't know and that's what's exciting about a horse that has been able to run on every surface. Anything is possible and I don't even necessarily think that he is going to throw just speed given his sire. I think you could get any distance as well.” A 'TDN Rising Star' in his 9 1/4-length maiden win for WinStar and Siena Farm, Timberlake was runner-up in the GI Hopeful Stakes before soundly claiming the GI Champagne over a field that included future 2-year-old champion Fierceness (City of Light). “The Champagne places him as the only Grade I-winning 2-year-old by Into Mischief other than Practical Joke in Kentucky,” said O'Rourke. “We've gotten a great response from breeders on that. He was talented, very precocious, and just a big, strong, handsome horse that people are really falling in love with when they come out here.” Timberlake, winner of the GII Rebel Stakes this year as a 3-year-old, will stand for 20,000. After getting a look at the newcomer, Mauk said he believes the son of Into Mischief shows the potential to become a versatile sire. “I don't think he's necessarily your typically shaped 2-year-old graded stakes winner,” he explained. “To me he has a little bit more range in his body, a longer shoulder and maybe a more slope-y hip. The fact that he did win a very important race as a 2-year-old in the Champagne and then went on to win the Rebel I think is a good indication that you're not limited in your scope of exclusively being a sprinter or a 2-year-old horse.” Rounding out the trio, Heartland made only one career start, but the team at WinStar believes he has the resume to succeed in this next chapter. A homebred for WinStar and a half-brother to juvenile champion Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile), Heartland sold for $575,000 at the Keeneland September Sale, going to China Horse Club and Siena Farm with WinStar staying in for a piece. “He was at the head of the class among our 2-year-olds that year,” O'Rourke reported. “David Hanley, Elliott Walden and [trainer] Neil McLaughlin were gushing about this horse. He was our first 2-year-old that we sent on.” Making his debut for Bob Baffert at Del Mar last July, Heartland rated off the pace before picking off rivals around the turn and then opening up over future stakes winner Slider (Jimmy Creed) by two lengths, completing 5 ½ furlongs in 1:03.20 and earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. While Heartland was never able to make it back to the starting gate, the WinStar team is hoping he can make his mark as a sire. Standing for $10,000, Heartland will be the second son of Justify to stand in Kentucky after Spendthrift's Arabian Lion retired last year. “It's very intentional that he is here at WinStar,” said O'Rourke. “We are going to support him very strongly in his first several years at stud and we have some creative incentives for our breeders that we think make him a really good value proposition. Justify obviously is doing incredible things as a stallion and I think it's a great access point to Justify at that $10,000 level. He's got the pedigree to back it up being a half-brother to Classic Empire and by one of the most elite sires in the world, so we think he's got a big chance and we're getting some good support from breeders on him.” The post A Lot to Look Forward To for WinStar in 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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