Making an impact in Thoroughbred racing typically requires time, patience, and luck. Usually, it takes a lot of all three.
But Resolute Racing's John Stewart has been able to make a sudden impact on the sport. Arriving on the scene at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Stewart has made a series of high-profile purchases including two-time champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive.
Now, he has accomplished a different milestone: His first Kentucky Derby (G1) runner. Just a Touch will break from the eighth post May 4 at Churchill Downs.
"I told Gavin (O'Connor) in September that with the 150th Derby, I really wanted to have a horse in the Derby. And he's like, 'John, you've got to set your expectations to be realistic. It's just not realistic.' So, did I expect it? No, but I jumped at the chance," Stewart said.
Stewart credits his decisiveness, which has served him well as a businessman. That decisiveness also clues to the origin of his racing operation's name.
He said his bidding style has been described as resolved.
"There's been a lot of people that have, as been pointed out to me often, come in, spent a lot of money, made a lot of flash, and then they're gone. ... I'm kind of gauging my success on improving the sport. So of course, I want to win races. Of course, I do," Stewart said. "Everybody does, but that's not how I'm gauging success. If I win the Derby, win the Triple Crown, I win these races, that's not how I'm judging success. I'm judging success on having a positive impact on the industry. That's what I really want to do."
Trainer Brad Cox, who guides Just a Touch, said that Stewart is not a fly-by-night participant.
"He seems to be very patient and willing to do what's right for the horse, first and foremost. I'm sure it's going to lead to big, big things for him down the road," said Cox.
Co-owned with Qatar Racing and Marc Detampel, Just a Touch is lightly raced with just three contests to his name. Only T O Password with two starts has fewer in the Derby field. The 3-year-old has made steady improvements with each race. He won his maiden at six furlongs by 4 1/4 lengths—after which Stewart bought 25% of the colt from Sheikh Fahad Al Thani of Qatar Racing. He then went a mile in the Gotham Stakes (G3), second by two lengths; and then 1 1/8 miles in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), finishing 1 1/2 lengths back.
Jockey Florent Geroux told Stewart after the Blue Grass that he didn't push the colt hard enough. With the lead hitting the stretch, Geroux didn't think they would get caught.
"He's still a young horse (and) horses learn with each race. Someone on Twitter pointed out about Just a Touch, and I think it's true, that when he decides that he wants to pass the other horses, he's going to be dangerous because his times are really fast. And I think they're right."
As for how Stewart thinks the Derby plays out, he believes Dornoch will be tough to beat if he gets to the turn first breaking from the first post. A horse combining size and speed would be "super dangerous" in that scenario.
There's also the possibility that some of the more experienced 3-year-olds have peaked while Just a Touch appears to have room to grow.
"I feel really good about his chances and then the draw we got," Stewart said. "I think with Honor Marie next to us and Forever Young in that group in the middle, there's enough speed there to get a good pace, and we would hope to sit off the pace. There's no way we're going to be the lead horse and start to take the lead.
"If we're sixth coming around the turn, we're not going to win the race. We need to be right on the hip, we need to be like third or fourth."
Stewart hasn't given the idea of winning too much thought. For someone with a little more than a year in the industry, that he already has a Derby runner is a win.
"He's definitely jumped into the deep end of the pool and he seems to be swimming along just fine. ... It would be huge for John and his operation to be part of a Derby winner in I guess we could say year one," said Cox.
Win or lose, amidst all the hoopla that comes with the Kentucky Derby, Stewart is happy to be in the conversation and hopes the day serves to move the sport forward.
If nothing else, he plans to be resolute in his efforts.
Byron King contributed to this story.
