A ‘Goliath’ Global Journey: John Stewart Versus The World
Star gelding Goliath’s outspoken American owner is backing up his words with actions when it comes to international competition, fan engagement and thoroughbred aftercare.
WHEN JOHN STEWART speaks, people listen. As the new majority owner of G1 Japan Cup (2400m) hopeful Goliath picked up a microphone in front of a multilingual audience at Tokyo Racecourse on Thursday morning, a murmur of intrigue rippled through the packed hall.
“I think the best horses need to be travelling all around the world and racing against each other,” he said. “I think that’s what the sport wants and what the sport needs and so I’m really excited to be here with Goliath.
“It’s hard to believe I’ve only been in horse racing for a year, and I’ve already got to participate in some of the great races all around the world, from the Golden Slipper in Australia to the Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot.
“The Japan Cup is one of those races and it was definitely something that was interesting to me from the moment I started. I know how much the Japanese people love the best of everything and that’s something that I feel very strongly about for the sport.”
It’s not the only matter Stewart feels strongly about. The founder of American outfit Resolute Racing – who first made his way in the business world with Japanese giant Toyota – has emerged as one of horse racing’s biggest owners over the past 12 months, amplified by an engaging social media presence which offers his seemingly unfiltered thoughts on a variety of racing issues, both in the United States and abroad.
His comments at Tokyo on Thursday were mild and measured compared to some of his fiery remarks about Japanese racing earlier this year.
“Japan should not be allowed to compete in the Kentucky Derby until Japan opens up its races to foreign horse owners,” Stewart wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in April. “The process for obtaining a horse racing license is restrictive and the process is overly cumbersome leading to almost no international competitors being granted access to Japan’s state sponsored horse racing prize money.”
He also referenced the death of 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand, who was sent to slaughter in 2002, and included a ‘#boycottjra’ hashtag.
Not one to resile from a past statement, Stewart remains steadfast in his belief that Japan’s protectionist approach is an impediment to the local industry. Still, he remains determined to participate in Japanese racing as a ‘fly-in, fly-out’ owner targeting the biggest races on the calendar.
“I think the barriers to becoming an owner over here are just incredible,” Stewart told Idol Horse. “Look, I have a lot of respect for the Japanese people in the sport, but they don’t want global competition because if they did, they would open it up. It needs to be opened up. It’ll be better for them.
“You’ve got to talk about problems if you want to solve problems: I don’t have anything negative against people. I’m new into the industry and so I really don’t have any allegiances to anybody. I want the sport to be better and I’ll say what I think, especially if it’s a problem that can be fixed.
“The JRA, to their credit, have been very hospitable. They have looked after us so well. They want us here, they want us to compete, but they don’t want us to take that money home – just like we don’t want them to come over and win the Kentucky Derby, right?
“They better get used to me showing up here in Japan because I’m going to be showing up with the best horses, all the time.”
“They are getting better, but the only way we can really test ourselves is to open up the competition and compete against each other. They better get used to me showing up here in Japan because I’m going to be showing up with the best horses, all the time. It’s my way of being able to compete without having to go through the regimented process of becoming an owner here. It is an industry here in Japan where 60 per cent is controlled by one family (the Yoshidas).
“That’s not something that’s against the Japanese. It’s the same in America, it’s the same in Europe. I think there are a bunch of people sick and tired of Aidan O’Brien showing up and winning everything. I love Aidan and I love Coolmore, I’m a big fan of Auguste Rodin and I’ve got my Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel set to visit him next year.
“I admire them, but I want to beat them on Sunday – and I think people want to see that. I think they want to see somebody come in and challenge the establishment.”
One Japanese reporter remarked that watching Stewart in full flight, talking up the battle to come, had shades of a professional wrestler cutting a promo on his rivals before taking to the ring.
But expectations that the bombastic American would be cast as the villain – a ‘heel’ in wrestling parlance – fell wide of the mark. Instead, Stewart has been embraced by the Japanese racing community who see him as a fellow traveller. Somehow, despite his previous criticism of the JRA, he is coming off as a charismatic good guy – a ‘babyface’.
“I think I’m just genuine and I’m like them,” he said. “Since I have got into racing, I’ve been trying to be transparent and show people what it’s like to be behind the scenes, to be on the other side, because it’s so mysterious.
“You don’t get the chance to get up close and personal with horse owners, trainers, and these wonderful horses, so I have been trying to give people that experience, letting them share in those opportunities and just being a part of the ride of me being able to come into the industry as an outsider to a lot of the established people. I think people can relate to that.
“I’m trying to do this like everybody else would do it. I happen to have the ability to come in and invest a lot of money and so I’ve done it at the top of the sport, where in our first year, we’ve won 11 stakes races – and we’re just getting started.”
Fan engagement is a crucial element of Resolute Racing’s business model, seemingly providing Stewart a happy home at Tokyo Racecourse where the fan is at the heart of the action. Already, on Thursday, members of the media were sporting Goliath caps provided by Stewart with expectations that a large number will be available for the Tokyo crowds on Sunday.
“At the Breeders’ Cup, I paid for a suite for 120 fans to come for free,” he said. “They had the best food, the best champagne, the best wine. People were like, you’re crazy. Why did you do that? I’m doing it because those events have become so expensive that the average fan has spent $3,000 on a ticket to go. You’ve got people deciding whether you’re going to go on vacation or whether your kids are going to get braces or whether to go to an event like that.
“To make that free for fans and to give them an opportunity, all while raising some money for aftercare, it’s a no-brainer. I’m trying to do those types of events everywhere that I go. We can’t have the big events being so elite that regular people can’t attend them. And it’s not just horse racing, it’s every sport.”
“So I’m just trying to open up that access and I’m having a bit of fun with it along the way. I’m having a blast.”
Stewart’s road to the Japan Cup began in 1989 at Toyota, rising from a line worker at their Georgetown, Kentucky plant to become the first American to run a division for Japan’s biggest company.
“I started there when I was 19 years old,” he said. “I didn’t have a college degree, I got my undergraduate degree while I was working there. I got promoted through the organisation and I ended up running their European manufacturing division. I would not be where I am professionally if it wasn’t for Toyota. Toyota trained me.
“My sensei Hideshi Yokoi taught me everything I know about business and operations and his son Yuji works for me today and I’m doing the same thing with him. We’ve kept a really good relationship, we’ve remained really, really close and I’m sure he’ll be watching this weekend from Nagoya.”
True to his word, Stewart is talking a big game with Goliath. Already, the French four-year-old has been invited to the G1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) at Sha Tin just two weeks after the Japan Cup, while the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic (2400m) at Meydan in April is a likely early season target. The G1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) is also firmly on the radar next year, although he’d contemplate a switch to the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) if France Galop was to make a surprise decision to allow geldings to participate.
In fact, the only race that is seemingly ruled out is the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf (2400m) on home soil given the championship meeting returns to Del Mar in 2025, with the tight-turning track the reason for his absence in 2024.
“I have no interest in taking a horse and winning a bunch of races one year, and then just racing them again in the same races the next year,” Stewart said. “It seems to be what is done all over the world. You don’t see a lot of horses that are going around and racing on different continents, racing in these big races, and giving fans an opportunity to appreciate horses like Goliath.
“I don’t care about the prize money – I want the global competition.”
“Just to be a part of that and to facilitate that process is really important to me, because I’m a passionate horse racing fan first and I know how other fans appreciate seeing that.
“Americans are terrible. I’ve got the top trainers in America and I wanted them to take my horses to Royal Ascot. None of them would go – they said, well, the prize money’s not what it should be. I don’t care about the prize money – I want the global competition.
“When I have a horse that I think is good enough, I want to take them to other places. I want to really test them. I want them to prove themselves and I want to see where they stand on the world stage.”
Goliath’s presence in Tokyo is pretty strong evidence that Stewart’s words are backed by action. And the message seems to be that this is all just the beginning.
“I think Goliath is the type of horse that everyone deserves to see and so that’s why we want to try to make him available in these contests all over the world,” he added.
“Japan is just the first stop on our global journey with him and we’re very excited about that.” ∎
