Resolute Offers First Homebred Yearlings at F-T July

Resolute Bloodstock will offer a pair of homebred yearlings from its highly anticipated inaugural crop at the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearling Sale July 14 in Lexington. This debut marks a milestone for the operation as it offers a first wave of well-bred racing prospects to the public. The pair includes Hip 21, a filly by first-crop sire and grade 1 winner Arabian Lion. The filly, consigned by Gainesway, agent, is the first foal out of the Star Guitar winner Charged Temp, a full sister to graded stakes winner Ova Charged, who earned more than $900,000 on the track; and Manama Gold, winner of the 2024 UAE Oaks (G3). The brilliance of Ova Charged on the racetrack captivated Resolute Racing CEO Chelsey Stone Stewart. They tried to buy the mare a couple of times. "I loved Ova Charged when she was racing, and we got to meet her owner when she won the Unbridled Sidney Stakes," Stewart said. "We actually sponsored that race." When her full sister Charged Temp showed up in a Fasig-Tipton digital sale, Stewart knew she had to have the mare. "(Owner) John (Stewart) was downtown meeting with investors for his private equity business, and he wasn't answering his phone," she explained. "I had about one minute before bidding expired. So, anyway, I bought her with a one-click bid with about 30 seconds left." Resolute Bloodstock secured the Louisiana-bred mare for $130,000 from the 2024 Fasig-Tipton May Digital Sale with Hip 21 in utero. "She (Hip 21) was special all the way from the start," Stewart said. "She just had that 'Look at me attitude.' She's always had a good head on her shoulders, she looks racey. We like her a lot and think she'll do well on the track; we're excited." Resolute's other sale offering is Hip 159, a colt by freshman sire and 2021 champion sprinter Jackie's Warrior. The strong colt is the first foal out of the Bernardini mare Russiarussiarussia. Resolute purchased the mare for a mere $15,000 at the 2024 January Horses of All Ages Sale with Hip 159 in utero. "We really like the colt. He was one of our earlier babies born on the farm, and he's always been kind of special," Stewart said. "He's developed nicely. He has a good walk and big shoulder. I think he's peaking at the right time physically." Taylor Made Sales Agency, as agent, consigns the colt. "She currently has a nice Nyquist colt on the ground, and we really like that colt, too," she said. "We bred her back to Dornoch this year." Stewart said Jackie's Warrior is one of the stallions that really stood out to the team at Resolute. "We have the Pedigree 360 company that John purchased out of Australia, and he's one of the stallions that it seemed to rate really well with every mare—and not all stallions do that—so we were really intrigued with that," she said about Jackie's Warrior. "We have a filly by him that will go to Keeneland later this year. We have been very pleased with the outcome of Jackie's Warrior's foals." John Stewart's Resolute Racing, founded in 2023, made a swift entrance into the Thoroughbred industry, securing a roster of blue-blooded mares and yearlings at public auction. Stewart purchased the former Shadayid Stud near Midway, Ky., where he has since expanded to more than 1,000 acres. In 2023, Stewart was the leading buyer of broodmares at public sales in North America, spending $15.7 million on just six mares, which included 2022-23 champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive and Puca dam of 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage, Belmont and Haskell Stakes (G1) winner Dornoch, and 2025 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner Baeza. Goodnight Olive fetched a hefty $6 million to top the 2023 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, along with Nest, who also brought $6 million from Repole Stable. Stewart paid $2.9 million for Puca at the 2023 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, carrying a full sibling by Good Magic to the aforementioned grade 1 winners. Stewart nearly doubled his money two years later when he sold the mare in foal to Into Mischief for $5 million to Raging Torrent Syndicate at last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. The following year, Stewart invested $17,750,000 to secure 32 yearlings, making him the top yearling buyer by gross in North America in 2024. Although Resolute was among the top buyers over the last few years, Chelsey Stewart said their operation, which primarily breeds to race, will sell the majority of its colts, and retain the fillies to add to their broodmare band once their racing career is over. "We're looking to sell the majority of our colts," she said. "We hope to stay in for a leg on a few of them. All of our colts are pointed to an auction. Some of the fillies we didn't do the matings on, but we bought the mares, we have decided to just go ahead and send them through the auction ring, too." Hinting at what is to come, Stewart said that the highly sought-after Not This Time colt out of Goodnight Olive will be offered during Book 1 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Taking one step at a time, Stewart said she is optimistic about the beginning of the yearling sales season in North America and expects there to be strong demand. "After watching the yearling sales last year, and even the horses of racing age, the broodmare sales, where some of them can continue to run in Europe, especially, they were bringing a lot of money," she said. "The market is so strong, and the 2-year-old sales this year have been excellent. I think it's definitely going to be a strong market."