John Stewart eyes Melbourne with 2024 Japan Cup fancy

Goliath faces one of the toughest tasks in racing this weekend, beating the Japanese at home in their biggest race, but John Stewart is already planning his next moves with his star recruit and Australia is on the itinerary.

The ambitious American has quickly become a powerful investor in Australian racing and has nominated its biggest race of all – the Melbourne Cup – as a key target next year for this year’s brilliant King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner.

“When I saw him win the King George I was immediately on the phone with our connections in Europe and I was like, ‘he’s a gelding, there might be a chance to buy him’,” Stewart said.

“We negotiated for a couple of months until I was able to secure the majority share in him and, in the back of my mind, I was thinking Australia.”

Goliath is a German-bred four-year-old trained in France by Francis-Henri Graffard, who was entrusted with Verry Elleegant when she embarked on the European campaign that would prove her last.

Goliath has not raced beyond 2414 metres, but Stewart is convinced the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup will be no issue for the son of Adlerflug, who most-recently won the Group 2 Prix Du Conseil Pris at Longchamp on October 20.

“I think he’s better he longer he goes, he’s a stayer,” Stewart said.

“They talk about him being quick, but I go back and I’ve studied all of his tapes and when he’s in the lead he’s very hard to overcome.

“He’s just got a big lumbering stride, it’s a big powerful stride, and it’s hard for the other horses to catch up and get the ground off him.

“I think 3200 is not outside of his capability.”

Stewart is conscious of the Melbourne Cup being a handicap and Goliath would be assured of a hefty impost given his peak Timeform rating of 129, but his reason for buying into horses of that quality is because he wants to be a part of events as prestigious as Melbourne’s Spring Carnival.

“People all over the world, it’s exciting for them to see these great horses come and race,” he said.

“I think it’s an opportunity that you just don’t see a lot. You don’t see a lot of horses going around and racing on different continents and racing in these big races and giving fans an opportunity to appreciate a horse like that.

“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 just know how other fans appreciate seeing that.”

After Japan, Stewart is keen for Goliath head to Hong Kong for the 2400m Vase on December 8 but is aware the tight turnaround might be against them, while Dubai in March is another carnival he is keen to be a part of.

Goliath will renew hostilities Coolmore star Auguste Rodin in he 2400m Japan Cup and meets top locals Do Deuce and Cirvinia, the three-year-old filly who is favourite, but Stewart has ultimate faith in his charge.

“I think he has everything set up to have a dominant performance over here,” Stewart said.

“I’m confident and, at the end of the day, we didn’t come over here just to run in the race and be competitive.

“The reason I brought Goliath is I think he can win.”

Goliath will be ridden by Christophe Soumillon, who won the 2014 Japan Cup aboard Epiphaneia.