From $10 an hour college dropout to big-spending racing superpower - meet John Stewart

As spring was gently unfolding petals and the Kentucky bluegrass spreading lush, John Stewart conducted a lively brainstorming session with his Resolute Farm staff. Why not invite the public to experience the beauty of the equine nursery, he proposed, where broodmares including American champion and $6 million purchase Goodnight Olive enjoy a slice of fame and their frolicking foals are irresistible?

“We’ll serve champagne mimosas and just have everybody out,” Stewart recalls of the notion dubbed Brunch with the Babies. His idea, however, collided with a wall of shock. The concept of a free “open house” with refreshments, as well as access to the blue-blooded horses on a meandering “foal trail,” initially seemed outrageous to Stewart’s team.

“They were like, ‘Nobody does that!’” recollects Stewart. “So, I said, ‘Okay! Let’s do it!’”