Stewart Looks For Successful Saturday

by J.M. Severni
Saturday’s GIII Sam F. Davis S. will be a big day for conditioner Chad Stewart, who will send out two horses from his 10-horse string in morning-line favorite Catalina Red (Munnings) and Bandages (Any Given Saturday). The former graduated by 7 1/4 lengths in Tampa’s Inaugural S. Dec. 6 before annexing the seven-panel Pasco S. in 1:21 2/5 to set a new track record Dec. 27. Bandages won second out going six furlongs on that same card. 

“He’s doing great, he’s training super,” Steward said of Catalina Red. “I couldn’t ask him to be doing any better.” 
As for Bandages, the conditioner offered, “He’s doing very well, too. They’re both training extremely well going into the race.” 

Of the added distance, Stewart explained, “We’re going to find out [if they can handle it]. Catalina Red’s pedigree says that he might not be able to go that far, but he sure acts like he will.” 

Stewart, a native of Wisner, Nebraska, has been working in the industry since he was a teenager. Since 2001, Stewart has owned and operated Grace Full Oaks in Ocala with his wife, veterinarian Dr. Laurie Stewart. The Stewarts have about 90 horses on the farm and generally ship their 10 race horses to either Tampa or Miami. They also have a small broodmare band–one of their most notable breedings was GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Tightend Touchdown (Pure Precision). Stewart also bred Bandages, having claimed his grandam in 1994 for Worldwide Thoroughbreds, and bred and trained his dam Beauty Is. The Stewarts also break and train young horses for clients and conditioners as well as lay-up horses. 

“We enjoy the racing, we enjoy the breaking and training and seeing the babies go on to different trainers and do well–that’s always neat,” Stewart explained. “We have a lot of nice horses that come in for lay-ups. It’s all very enjoyable. The broodmares are a lot of work, but we breed a few of our own every year.” 

Stewart said the operation strives to produce, break and train the best horses they can. “The goal for the farm is just to do the best that we can do and help people get their horses refreshed, getting babies that we can break and sent along to the track and see do well. We try to do the best that we can do and make our clients successful.”