John Stewart

On this week's TDN Writers' Room, owner/breeder John Stewart discusses his recent shopping spree at the fall breeding stock sales and reveals the name for his new racing and breeding operation. This week's episode is sponsored by Keeneland, the Green Group, WinStar, the PHBA, Lane's End and West Point Thoroughbreds.

Back-to-back GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint heroine Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), who went to Lexington's own John Stewart at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale for $6 million on Tuesday Night, confirmed Wednesday via a message on X that his new acquisition would be returning to trainer Chad Brown to race in 2024. After the purchase that evening, Stewart told TDN that, "With all the success she's had to date, I think she still has some opportunity to still run." The new owner added to that sentiment in the Wednesday Tweet...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale gained momentum throughout its opening session and concluded a day of competitive bidding Wednesday evening with 11 seven-figure mares and a median up 30% from its 2022 counterpart. "It was a good day. It was a really good day," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "We were really pleased with the session overall. The theme of the century seems to be that the quality sells and there was really high demand for the quality. There was...

Puca (Big Brown), the dam of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), was originally reported as unsold at $2.8 million, but Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin told members of the press in the post-session debrief that John Stewart, who made a giant splash at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday evening, had acquired the 11-year-old mare for $2.9 million post-RNA. Arvin told the press that the sale would not be included in the Book 1 statistics. Consigned by Case Clay Thoroughbred Management and offered carrying a full-sibling to Mage, former 'TDN Rising...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - After a vibrant afternoon-into-night of bidding, the Fasig-Tipton November Sale grossed over $100 million for the third straight year with champions Nest (Curlin) and Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) leading the way when bringing matching $6-million final bids Tuesday at Newtown Paddocks. "It was another remarkable horse sale, literally from start to finish," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "It's really humbling to think that we've been able, for three years in a row, do over $100 million in sales in a single night....

Champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper--Salty Strike, by Smart Strike), who on Saturday captured her second GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, sold for $6 million Tuesday night at the Fasig-Tipton November sale to John Stewart. The amount matched the price Mike Repole spent on three-time Grade I winner Nest (Curlin) earlier in the evening. Consigned by Elite, agent as hip 237, Goodnight Olive went through the ring as a racing or broodmare prospect. She had first stepped into the same Fasig-Tipton ring in 2019 as an October yearling, where she...

Only moments after going to $3 million for GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock) at Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton November sale, John Stewart was back in action, picking up Queen Caroline (Blame--Queens Plaza, by Forestry) for another $3 million. The 10-year-old Queen Caroline is the dam of champion, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, 'TDN Rising Star', and recent Spendthrift retiree Forte (Violence). After not producing a live foal the past two years, Queen Caroline was bred to Horse of the Year Flightline Feb. 24 and is believed...

Bobby Flay's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock--White Hot {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) fetched $3 million from John Stewart at Tuesday's renewal of Fasig-Tipton's November Sale. The 4-year-old filly, consigned by Elite, agent as hip 168, was mated Apr. 20 to four-time leading sire Into Mischief and is believed to be pregnant and carrying her first foal. Pizza Bianca is out of the unraced mare White Hot, who is a half to G1 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi (Montjeu) and additional MGSW & MG1SP Gagnoa...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale, which produced record-setting renewals in 2021 and 2022, opened Monday with solid, if less spectacular figures, than a year ago. A total of 257 yearlings grossed $11,224,800 Monday. The session average of $43,676 was down 10.5% from last year's opening day and the median of $20,000 was down 25.9%. "It was a solid opening session," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "I think the results were basically in line with expectations and what we are seeing throughout the marketplace in 2023. There...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - With the very first horse through the ring bringing $1.3 million, the second session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was off to the races Tuesday and the action didn't slow down throughout the day as the second-to-last offering brought $1.25 million. In between, 13 other yearlings sold for seven figures, including a colt by Into Mischief who brought top price of $3 million from the partnership of Chuck Sonson, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford. With eight million-dollar yearlings Monday, the...

An Uncle Mo half-sister to MGISW Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) crossed the seven-figure threshold Tuesday at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, fetching $2.5 million from Gavin O'Connor on behalf of John Stewart. The bay filly, consigned by Denali Stud, agent for WinStar Farm Bred & Raised, was bred by WinStar in Kentucky. The Apr. 4 filly joined a burgeoning list of top sellers by Coolmore America sire Uncle Mo, who had five of the top 11-priced yearlings Monday. Hip 337 is out of Starship Warpspeed (Congrats), who produced GSP Mojovation (Quality Road)...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened with a packed pavilion and plenty of bidding from a diverse buying bench ultimately producing eight seven-figure sales led by a $2.3-million daughter of Into Mischief. At the end of the session, numbers were largely in line with the figures from the opening session of last year's record-breaking auction. "We were all biting our nails a little bit thinking about being measured up to last year's sale which was so phenomenal," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "But the...