Resolute Racing will add its name to the $600,000 GI Madison S. which will run on Saturday, Apr. 6, while MiddleGround Capital will sponsor the $400,000 GII Beaumont S. on Sunday, April 7.

“My partner Scot Duncan and I have always enjoyed taking our family, friends, co-workers and investors to the races at Keeneland,” Stewart said. “The Spring Meet is a significant event for the local community and the Thoroughbred horse racing industry. Everyone in Kentucky looks forward to the Spring Meet with enthusiasm and optimism. We are honored to support these prestigious events that historically represent the Bluegrass region as well as many of the best competitors in horse racing.”

John Stewart | Keeneland

Among the winners of the newly-minted Resolute Racing Madison is Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), who Stewart purchased last year and then retired from racing. Fans will be able to see the two-time Eclipse Award winner who is currently in foal to Not This Time while she is paraded in the Paddock between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET. Apr. 6 during Keeneland's Sunrise Trackside program.

“Keeneland is pleased to welcome Resolute Racing and MiddleGround Capital to our team of race sponsors,” Keeneland Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Christa Marrillia said. “Their participation signifies John Stewart's passion and growing involvement in the Thoroughbred industry.”

The post Stewart’s Resolute Racing And MiddleGround Capital To Sponsor April Keeneland Stakes, Goodnight Olive To Appear appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Stewart's most costly recruits included the second-top lot at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, an Uncle Mo half-sister to the multiple Grade I winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) who sold for $2.5 million. He then rolled into the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale where a pair of Breeders' Cup winners headlined his seven purchases, splashing out $6 million on the dual Filly & Mare Sprint heroine Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) and $3 million on the Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

More recently, Stewart purchased five two-year-olds at the OBS March Sale, notably spending $1 million on an Authentic colt, while the three-year-old Pounce (Lookin At Lucky) was bought for $370,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February Digital Sale and made the perfect start for her new owner when winning the GIII Herecomesthebride S. at Gulfstream Park earlier this month. He also privately purchased the filly Sweet Rebecca after she broke her maiden at the same track eight days later and was named a 'TDN Rising Star'.

Certainly, nobody can accuse Stewart of not putting his money where his mouth is. It was only around 18 months ago that he teamed up with Gavin O'Connor to buy his first horse, Shiloh's Mistress (Vino Rosso), for $235,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Now, he has designs on becoming one of the most influential owner-breeders in the sport.

A lifelong racing fan, Stewart might have bided his time before getting his hands dirty at the coal face, but there's seemingly no limit to his ambition now that he's there.

Speaking about the decision to significantly increase his stake in the industry, Stewart explains, “I met Chelsey [Stone], my girlfriend, in the spring of last year, early summer. Gavin and I were planning on buying a couple more horses, and Chelsey has been around horses her whole life. She rides Saddlebreds and she worked at Gainesway, so she knows horses a lot.

“We got talking more and more about what the opportunities were and I told them, 'Something you should know about me is that I don't ever do anything halfway–I'm probably not going to be that person who has just two or three horses.'

“We went to the Keeneland Sale and Chelsey and Gavin had looked at 160 horses to try to recommend two. I was so impressed by that because it would have been very easy just to pick two horses. And so, as we started going through the sale, we had an eye on a couple and then some others came up and I thought the prices were kind of reasonable.

“Somehow, we ended up spending $8.5 million. I go to car auctions all the time and I do the same thing. I'd just been to a car auction and bought nine cars a month earlier–people that know me know that's totally not out of character.”

Altogether, Stewart came away from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale with 13 horses, including a second seven-figure purchase when he forked out $1 million for the full-brother to the multiple top-level winner Practical Joke (Into Mischief). That group is set to spearhead Stewart's racing operation, called Resolute Racing, in 2024.

In the meantime, Stewart's priority was finding a place his burgeoning broodmare band could call home. That next step in the process was ticked off late last year when he completed the purchase of Shadwell's Shadayid Stud in Midway, since renamed Resolute Farm.

“I used to live back behind Shadwell in Fishers Mill in Midway,” says Stewart, the founder and managing partner of MiddleGround Capital, a private equity firm. “I lived there for around 10 years, and I've always admired this property and thought it was beautiful. There hadn't been horses on this property since [Sheikh Hamdan] had passed away, but they took such good care of it that it was really just turnkey. We could just come in and start, so we put an offer in, they accepted it, and we bought the farm.”

Said farm now has a handful of Grade I-winning mares—not to mention dams of Grade I winners or siblings to Grade I winners–grazing its lush paddocks following Stewart's spending spree last autumn.

As well as Goodnight Olive and Pizza Bianca, Stewart paid a total of $5.9 million for the dams of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Florida Derby winner Forte (Violence) and GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic). The Listed-winning Queen Caroline (Blame), the dam of Forte, was bought for $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, before the GII-placed Puca (Big Brown) was secured for $2.9 million post-RNA at the Keeneland November Sale having originally been reported as unsold.

Another mare who went unsold when offered for $2.4 million at Keeneland was the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine Caravel (Mizzen Mast), but she too ended up with Stewart following a private sale conducted early in 2024.

Telling the story of how he came to buy Caravel, Stewart says, “Chelsey was very interested in Caravel from the beginning, as I was, and I had talked to Sheikh Fahad [Al Thani, chairman of Qatar Racing] at the Breeders' Cup about her. We went to Keeneland after the sale and ended up buying Puca. We found out that Caravel had RNA'd and we were so shocked, so we reached out to them directly and said, 'Hey, we'll buy the horse.'

“There's a lot of people in the industry that don't want to sell privately because they think it's going to take away from the value of the horse. But coming after the Fasig-Tipton sale where I had bought some of the most expensive horses there and paid really premium prices, I said, 'Guys, nobody's ever going to know what I pay for the horse and they're all going to assume I paid a ridiculous price, because look at what I just paid for all these other horses.' So, they agreed to sell her to us.”

As for the next steps for Caravel and Puca–who is the dam of another colt on the Triple Crown trail this year in the GII Fountain of Youth S. winner Dornoch (Good Magic)–Stewart adds, “We knew all along that we wanted to breed Caravel to Frankel and I've used that with the team to convince them to let me send Puca to Frankel. We're going to send Puca to Into Mischief this year and then she's going to join Caravel over there and she's going to be bred to Frankel next year.”

The prospect of having a homebred colt or filly by Frankel (GB) on the ground is a tantalising one for Stewart, though it won't be the first offspring of the unbeaten world champion to have graced the turf at Resolute Farm. Instead, that honour belongs to the colt out of the G1 Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) who receives rave reports from farm manager Noel Murphy. “I love the Frankel foal,” he says. “He's big and strong and looks like a Frankel should.”

Pink Dogwood, a full-sister to the G1 Irish Derby winner Latrobe (Ire), was carrying said foal when she became one of four Coolmore mares acquired by Stewart during last year's Thanksgiving trip to Tipperary at the invitation of MV Magnier. That quartet also includes the impeccably-bred Champagne (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Found (Ire); Dramatically (War Front), who is out of the G1 Oaks runner-up Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo); and G3 Athasi S. winner Happen (War Front), a daughter of the dual Classic heroine Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

“Pink Dogwood and Champagne are just different,” Murphy says of two of the new recruits. “When you have them in your hand and when you're around them, they're just different. Those two, in particular, there's something very unique about them. There's a presence that you don't find all the time–it's rare.”

Stewart, too, freely admits that it was the uniqueness of the opportunity offered to him by the Coolmore team that made it so difficult to turn down. “When you start to look at the pedigrees of the horses, the depth is just something that you don't see,” he sums up. “I'm trying to get the families that are really deep and I think one of the things you see in Europe that you don't see in America is more concentration of families.

“We were able to buy these [mares] all in foal and so we had three colts and one filly expected out of these horses. To have a Frankel on the ground now, which is a huge, 140-pound foal, is super exciting. You just don't see that on every farm here. And we have a Siyouni filly [out of Champagne], you don't see that a lot. They were a couple of stallions I was really interested in and Coolmore gave us a big step in that direction, kind of creating the foundation for what's going to be the future of the farm.”

Closer to hand, Stewart can look forward to one of the biggest days in his relatively brief time as a racehorse owner when unbeaten two-year-old Storm Boy (Aus) (Justify) runs in Saturday's G1 Golden Slipper, the world's richest race for juveniles. Favourite Storm Boy was purchased by Coolmore and a group of their clients and friends, including Stewart, for an undisclosed sum after winning the Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January.

Stewart has travelled to Australia to enjoy the occasion, hoping to make another big statement on another continent–and with Europe unlikely to be far behind.

“I'm international with my business,” he explains. “I just opened an office in Amsterdam and I spend a lot of time over there. It's actually pretty efficient for me to go to Europe and I'm there probably three or four times a quarter. Again, I respect the bloodlines over there and I respect a lot of the farms that are over there. I would envisage, in the future, the next place we'll be racing horses will be over in Europe. There's not an immediate plan for that, but I would expect that in the future.”

The post At Home With John Stewart and the Team at Resolute Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“We have such an awesome fleet of mares, but we are always looking to add to the group,” said Stone. “We have 16 mares total. 5 of those are maidens and so we are due for eleven foals this year.”

GOODNIGHT OLIVE (m, 6, Ghostzapper – Salty Strike, by Smart Strike) bred to Not This Time

Purchased for $6 million at 2023 Fasig-Tipton November

She was the first mare to visit Not This Time this year. We're very excited about this mating. Not This Time has really been impressive over the past few years and we thought it would be a great fit with Goodnight Olive. It nicked well. We have a great relationship with the Taylors and love what they're doing at Taylor Made, so it was the perfect fit.

CARAVEL (m, 7, Mizzen Mast – Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats) to be bred to Frankel

Purchased privately in January, 2024

John and I actually visited Frankel last week at Juddmonte. He's big-boned and the shoulder and hip on him is so impressive. He's every bit of what he's hyped up to. We were more than thrilled with that mating.

Caravel will leave the farm in the first part of March. The idea is to keep her over there, let her foal out and then we'll breed her back and then bring her back home.

QUEEN CAROLINE (m, 11, Blame – Queens Plaza, by Forestry) to be bred to Tapit

Dam of Forte (Violence). Purchased for $3 million at 2023 Fasig-Tipton November

Queen Caroline, the dam of champion Forte, will be bred to Tapit in 2024 | Sara Gordon

Queen Caroline had a massive filly by Flightline this weekend. Once we nicked her, it was kind of a no-brainer to send her to King Tapit.

PIZZA BIANCA (m, 5, Fastnet Rock {Aus}) – White Hot {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) to be bred to Justify

Purchased for $3 million at 2023 Fasig-Tipton November

Pizza Bianca is currently in foal to Into Mischief with her first foal. We are taking her to Justify. She's by Fastnet Rock and that pairing to Justify has worked time and time again.

PUCA (m, 12, Big Brown – Boat's Ghost, by Silver Ghost) to be bred to Into Mischief

Dam of Mage (Good Magic). Purchased for $2.9 million at 2023 Keeneland November

Puca is currently in foal to Good Magic and will be bred to Into Mischief. There was definitely a lot of discussion between John, Gavin [O'Connor, General Manager] and me. There were a lot of options for her, but we kept coming back to Into Mischief.

LENNI GIRL (m, 5, Candy Ride {Arg} – Unicorn Girl, by A.P. Five Hundred) to be bred to Practical Joke

Purchased for $500,00 at 2023 Fasig-Tipton November

She is currently in foal to Not This Time and we are taking her to Practical Joke. Practical Joke has been a favorite of ours and we actually have his full brother, who we purchased at the Keeneland September Sale [for $1 million]. That was the horse John bought all on his own when Gavin and I weren't around. He liked the horse that much. We have a great relationship with Coolmore and supporting their stallions is important to us.

GODDESS PELE (m, 4, West Coast – Fiery Pulpit, by Pulpit) to be bred to Munnings

Purchased for $300,000 at 2023 Fasig-Tipton November

Goddess Pele recently had the first foal at Resolute Farm, a very nice Epicenter filly. We will be sending her to Munnings. We have a couple of yearlings on the farm sired by him and they're fantastic. They all have a great look about that. I think he'll pair up very nicely with this mare.

CHAMPAGNE (Ire) (m, 5, Galileo {Ire} – Red Evie {Ire}, by Intikhab) to be bred to Justify

Purchased privately in 2024.

This is the full-sister to champion Found (Ire). Champagne is in foal to Siyouni and we are breeding her back to Justify.  Justify is on fire and we are excited to be sending mares to him this season.

DRAMATICALLY  (m, 9, War Front – Wonder of Wonders, by Kingmambo) to be bred to Curlin

Purchased privately in 2024.

Dramatically is in foal to Wootton Bassett and she will go to Curlin.

HAPPEN (m, 8, War Front – Alexandrova {Ire}, by Sadler's Wells) to be bred to Into Mischief

Purchased privately in 2024.

Happen, a daughter of multiple Group 1 winner Alexandrova, is also in foal to Wootton Bassett and she will visit Into Mischief.

PINK DOGWOOD (Ire) (m, 8, Camelot {GB} – Question Times {GB}, by Shamardal) to be bred to Justify

Purchased privately in 2024.

This is the full-sister to Group 1 winner Latrobe (Ire). She is in foal to Frankel and is due in April, so we're ecstatic that she will have the first Frankel on our farm. John is a huge fan of Frankel. We will be sending her back to Justify.

The post Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift: Resolute Bloodstock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Bred and initially campaigned and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, Caravel earned nearly $2 million and amassed 15 career victories. In addition to her Breeders' Cup score, she earned a second Grade I win in the 2023 Jaipur S. In her final career start at the 2023 Breeders' Cup, the mare was campaigned by the ownership group of Qatar Racing, Madaket Stables and Marc Detampel. She then RNA'd for $2.4 million at the Keeneland November Sale.

“Chelsey and I are were surprised to find out that both Puca (Big Brown) and Caravel had RNA'd,” Stewart said. “We ended up purchasing Puca that night and the idea of having Caravel too haunted me all year. After the first of the year when we heard Caravel was going to be at Fasig-Tipton in November of 2024, we reached out and were able to purchase her in a private sale. We couldn't be happier to have her joining the other mares on our farm.”

Stone said that Caravel will depart from Resolute Farm in early March to visit Frankel. She will be bred back to a stallion in Europe after she foals there and then return to Kentucky next year.

“John and I visited Frankel just last week at Juddmonte and we are very excited to send her to him,” said Stone. “He's big-boned and the shoulder and hip on him is just so impressive. He's every bit of what he's been hyped up to and we are more than thrilled.”

Resolute Farm has also been in the news as of late with the announcement of the retirement of champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), who will visit Taylor Made's Not This Time in 2024.

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Goodnight Olive earned $2.196 million on the racetrack, winning nine of 12 races while never finishing out of the money. She won back-to-back runnings of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Following her Breeders' Cup win, Goodnight Olive returned to Payson Park in Florida under the guidance of trainer Chad Brown, where she was set to race in 2024. Instead, the decision was made to retire her.

Chad Brown expressed mixed emotions about her retirement. “Olive had a legendary career on the track, and she has been a fixture at Payson Park for the last four years,” he said. “I can't wait to see her career continue as a broodmare at Resolute Farm.”

Gavin O'Connor, General Manager of Resolute Farm, said, “We purchased Olive at Fasig-Tipton as a broodmare prospect and had hoped to continue her racing career. At the end of the day, these athletes are used to performing at the highest level and unless Chad and his team thought she could continue to compete at that level we always knew this was a likely path for her. She really doesn't have anything else to prove. We are so thankful for the opportunity to play a part in such a wonderful horse's career.”

Noel Murphy, the newly appointed farm manager at Resolute Farm, and former farm manager for Helen Alexander at Middlebrook Farm said, “Olive is settling on our farm in Midway with some good company. Esteemed Breeders' Cup champions Caravel and Pizza Bianca are in adjoining paddocks. Every day when I go to the barn, I am amazed by the presence of the incredible mares on our farm such as Puca, Queen Caroline, Goddess Pele, and many other high-quality mares joining these three Breeders Cup champions.”

“After months of meticulous research and decision-making, the team believes this pairing holds immense potential to produce a standout racehorse with an exceptional pedigree have already produced some great racing horses like Epicenter and the 2023 Eclipse winner Up To The Mark,” said Chelsey Stone, Resolute Breeding Director, of the mating to Not This Time. “The Taylor family and the team at Taylor Made Farm are exactly the type of partnership we want to have in the industry. Last year we purchased fellow broodmare Goddess Pele from them at Fasig-Tipton and a great More Than Ready filly in a private sale who we named Virgin Colada and will start her training for the track later this year. Breeding Olive to Not This Time brings the relationship full circle.”

Steve Laymon of First Row Partners, who campaigned Goodnight Olive, said, “We are pleased with the team at Resolute Farm acquiring Olive and their dedication to keeping high-quality racehorses like Olive within the United States, as there is a tendency for them to be acquired by foreign buyers. Not This Time has emerged as a prominent stallion in North America and with top-quality mares like Olive I expect an exceptional racing prospect.”

In 2023, Resolute Farm acquired the former Shadwell Stud property in Midway, Kentucky, and has since resumed horse operations on the farm as of January, 2024.

Goodnight Olive's name is a nod to the salutation used by workers and performers at the renowned New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City, paying homage to the legendary Broadway Flapper ghost, Olive Thomas, according to the press release.

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And they saved the best for last, as Cody's Wish (Curlin), whose story resonated with nearly every fan of Thoroughbred racing and beyond, was named Horse of the Year and champion older dirt male for a season in which he won four times from five starts for trainer Bill Mott, including a towering victory in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. in June and a nails-tough defense of his title in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, overcoming plenty of adversity in the process.

For all they have accomplished in their rich history on the North American continent, Godolphin was being represented by its first Horse of the Year and Mott was named outstanding trainer for the fourth time in his Hall of Fame career, but first since 2011.

The Brendan Walsh-conditioned 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) became Godolphin's first winner of America's premier race for sophomore fillies, the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, and largely on the strength of that effort was named champion of her generation. She is an eighth champion for her sire, whose daughter Covfefe won the same award in 2019. And while falling short of championships, Godolphin's GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the narrowly defeated 'TDN Rising Star' Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) received the third-most number of first-place votes in the male and female turf divisions, respectively.

With 27 victories in North American graded stakes, including 12 at Grade I level, Godolphin was the outstanding owner for the fourth year in a row and outstanding breeder for a third straight time.

A year after accounting for three divisional champions, Hill 'n' Dale Farm's sensational Curlin was responsible for another trifecta in 2023. In addition to Cody's Wish, the recently turned 20-year-old was also represented Thursday evening by Elite Power (Curlin), who took home a second consecutive award as champion sprinter; and by Idiomatic (Curlin), whose meteoric rise through the ranks was capped by an ultra-tough victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Curlin's daughter Malathaat was champion older dirt female of 2022. While Elite Power has joined the stallion barn at Juddmonte Farms in Lexington, Idiomatic will aim for another championship, as she remains in training in 2024.

The female sprint division also saw a repeat champion, as Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) parlayed a second straight victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint into an Eclipse Award, easily outpointing 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), whose chances were dashed by a career-ending injury while prepping for the Filly & Mare Sprint.

There were no surprises in the male turf category, as Up to the Mark (Not This Time) became a second champion in two years and third overall for his rising stallion, having won Grade Is at a mile, mile and an eighth and mile and a quarter before finishing second to 'TDN Rising Star' Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf going 12 furlongs. While the voters did not go for the latter off his single American appearance, they did in large numbers for Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who–in perhaps the evening's most surprising result–took home the hardware for turf female following her scintillating score in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She is a first American champion for the Banstead Manor resident and his sixth all totaled.

Arcangelo (Arrogate) was much preferred to Auguste Rodin and became his much-missed sire's first champion in the 3-year-old male division, with victories in the GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. Scratched on the eve of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, the gray stands his first season at Lane's End in 2024.

Courtesy of his bounceback success in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness also gave his sire City of Light a first champion in the 2-year-old male division. There was also little suspense in the 2-year-old filly ranks, as the undefeated GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Just F Y I (Justify) became the first North American champion for her sire.

Merry Maker (Ire) (Malinas {Ger}), who won the G1-Stp Lonsome Glory H. at Aqueduct in September, was a relatively narrow winner of the Eclipse for champion steeplechase horse.

In the other human divisions, Irad Ortiz, Jr. won his fifth Eclipse in six years as outstanding jockey and Axel Concepcion was the runaway winner of the Eclipse for the country's top apprentice. Stuart S. Janney III received the Eclipse Award of Merit, broadcaster Tom Hammond the Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence and Paul Calia for Horseplayer of the Year.

The TDN Writers' Room Podcast was among the media award winners recognized for the 'Wade and Carson Jost' episode from Sept. 20, 2023. On hand to accept the award were co-producer Anthony LaRocca, editor Alia LaRocca and podcast panelists Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss.

The Eclipse Awards are voted upon by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form (DRF) and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB). The votes are tabulated and certified by LBMC. Voters are asked to identify their top three candidates when submitting their ballots and the three finalists in each division were made public on Jan. 6. Eclipse Award winners are determined by first-place votes only. Of 250 eligible voters, 219 (88%) completed a ballot.

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Juddmonte's Elite Power traveled to Saudi Arabia to begin 2023 with a win in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint. Returned stateside, he won the GII True North S. and GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. before having an eight-race win streak interrupted with a runner-up effort in the GI Forego S. at Saratoga in August. He returned to the winner's circle and earned his second straight win in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint just over two months later.

First Row Partners & Team Hanley's Goodnight Olive opened 2023 with a win in the GI Madison S. at Keeneland in April. She won the GII Bed o' Roses S. before finishing second to Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) in the Aug. 26 GI Ballerina H. With that fellow Eclipse finalist injured, Goodnight Olive swept to her second straight win in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint. Just days later, the 5-year-old mare sold for $6 million to John Stewart at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.

The post Elite Power, Goodnight Olive Repeat as Champion Sprinters appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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I've been a racing enthusiast alongside my Dad forever, but watching his horse, Goodnight Olive, the past couple of years has been unparalleled. In 2023, we supported her every step during her 5-year-old campaign, culminating in a spectacular victory at the Breeder's Cup. It was my first time to Santa Anita, and what a special venue to watch her deliver magic one last time for the First Row Partners team. It was unforgettable, especially with my Dad by my side–a moment I'll cherish forever.
–Jonathan Romeo, Founder of StableConnect

The post What Was Your Favorite Moment Of 2023: Jonathan Romeo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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There was no stewards' inquiry posted after Goodnight Olive's win. The Equibase chart noted that Goodnight Olive “drifted in, taking the path of Society [Gun Runner] near the three-sixteenths pole” before she “quickly opened clear and held safely.”

Ortiz, who is North America's winningest jockey in both victories and purse earnings for 2023, will now serve his days Nov. 24-26 according to a California Horse Racing Board ruling issued on Friday.

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So what caused Stewart to get started in racing and why has he been so aggressive when it comes to his purchases? What are his plans and goals going forward? Is he doing this just to have some fun or does he believe his operation can be profitable?

Those were among the questions we asked Stewart when he was the Green Group Guest of the Week on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland.

“If you get to know me, you'll find out that I don't do anything halfway,” Stewart said. “I bought my first horse last year after I had gone through a divorce. When I was married, my wife never wanted me to get into the horse racing. I always had a passion for it and went to the races and enjoyed it. And then I got divorced. So I was like, 'Okay, I'll buy a racehorse.' And then I started learning more about the industry. When I get involved in something, I want to research everything. I want to know everything, and I want to know the history. I've always respected the industry and how important it is to the Kentucky community and to the economy of the state and especially to the Lexington area. As I've been able to get successful in my career with my business, it affords you the opportunity to get involved in things that you're passionate about and try to make an impact for people other than yourself.”

He said that with the ambitions he has for his racing stable and future breeding operation, buying just a handful of horses was not an option.

“Anything I do, I'm going to do all the way,” he said. “My goals are to start a breeding and a racing operation and you need numbers to do that. You also have to be lucky at the end of the day to win these big races. With all the horses that are in the Kentucky Derby, they're all competitive horses and have had accomplished records. But you still need luck.  So you can't rely solely on just buying the best. You also have to have numbers because things happen, like injuries. So I decided that I needed more bullets in the chamber. Everybody was advising me to stick with buying fillies and mares because they're easier to make money with. But if you're going to have a racing program, you have to have colts. So that's why we really came out in a big way at Keeneland. We bought a lot of colts because I wanted to start getting the pipeline full of horses for racing.”

Stewart isn't the first newcomer to make a huge splash at the sales, coming in from out of nowhere to spend millions. Many who have done so have failed and disappeared from the sport within a short period of time. He said that's not going to happen to him.

“I'm going to make this profitable,” he said. “This won't be a hobby. I'm going to trust horsemen to run the business and let them make the decisions. Sometimes when you're an accomplished business person, you want to control every aspect of everything. That may be the way others go about it. I'm going to be involved, but I'm going to trust people, people that have been in the industry, people that know how things work to run my day-to-day operations of the business.  We have a very specific strategy of what we're trying to do. I'm going to be very involved strategically in what we're doing. I'm going to be involved, but I'm going to trust people that have been in the industry, people that know how things work, to run my day-to-day operations of the business. I'm not going to be micro-managing my farm manager. I'm not going try to tell him what to feed the horses. I'm not going to be micro-managing the trainers and try to tell them this is a race I want to run in and this is where I want to be. In my career, I've always surrounded myself with people that I think are very smart. And then I try to empower them to do the job that they've been hired to do.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by  the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm, XBTV.com and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, the team of Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss discussed the 60 Minutes story on horse racing, whether or not it was fair and if could be just one more thing that erodes peoples' confidence in the sport. The podcast was recorded three days before GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) was to be sold at the Keeneland November sale. What will he bring? Finley guessed $500,000, while Cadman and Moss both guessed $1.2 million. Still another topic of discussions was the decision to run the 2025 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar and why has Churchill Downs seemingly been taken out of the running as a Breeders' Cup host site. Cadman speculated that Bob Baffert's ban at Churchill Downs may a reason why the Breeders' Cup is apparently reluctant to go there.

Click here to watch the podcast and here for the audio version.

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