The two-time European Group 1 winner Goliath is scheduled to start in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1. It will be an expensive venture. To start in the BC Turf at 1 1/2 miles, the richest grass race in the United States, Goliath must be made eligible to the Breeders’ Cup program with a $200,000 supplemental fee by Oct. 20, the day pre-entries are due. The pre-entry and entry fees add another $125,000. To recoup the expenditure, Goliath must finish in the first three. The supplemental fee makes Goliath eligible for Breeders’ Cup races throughout his career. The cost is worth the risk to John Stewart, whose Resolute Racing has made extensive investments in racing and bloodstock in recent years. Stewart, who has been outspoken on a variety of issues in racing, bought a controlling interest in Goliath in August 2024, shortly after the German-bred scored an upset win in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, one of Britain’s leading races for older horses. :: BREEDERS’ CUP TURF: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more Last fall, Goliath was considered for the BC Turf at Del Mar, but instead was sent to Tokyo Racecourse, where he finished sixth in the Japan Cup. This year, Goliath has won two of five starts, highlighted by a win in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden at 1 1/2 miles at Baden-Baden Racecourse in Germany on Sept. 7. With that win, the BC Turf became an autumn goal. “My top goal in racing is to win at the Breeders’ Cup,” Stewart wrote in a text message on Tuesday. “It is not often you have a horse of his caliber, and he is in great shape to run this year.” To start in the BC Turf, Goliath, trained in France by Francis-Henri Graffard, must pass veterinary inspection, as do all runners in Breeders’ Cup races. Goliath has been diagnosed with stringhalt, a gait abnormality evident by an exaggerated upward movement of a hindleg while walking. Jeff Blea, California’s equine medical director, said on Tuesday that Goliath’s stringhalt is “visible at a walk or jog.” A stringhalt diagnosis alone will not prevent Goliath from starting in the BC Turf, Blea said. “There is nothing prohibiting him from coming,” Blea said. “For him to be able to participate, he’ll have to present sound, as with any other horse.” Goliath’s condition will be observed by Breeders’ Cup veterinarians in the days before the BC Turf. “We have some video of the horse in motion,” Blea said. “We’ve got some gait analysis video. We have that as a baseline. “We’re going to monitor him when he comes. He’ll have multiple exams.” Stewart downplayed Goliath’s stringhalt, saying the gelding has competed in four racing jurisdictions in the last year – Japan, Hong Kong, France, and Germany – without impediment. Stewart, who has a background in private equity, co-owns Goliath with Philip von Ullmann. He races in the U.S. and Europe, and said he would like to see higher purses for Breeders’ Cup grass races “to appeal to a broader global audience.” The Breeders’ Cup competes with high-profile autumn races in Britain, France, Hong Kong, and Japan for leading grass runners. Stewart wrote that greater investment in turf-oriented bloodstock in the United States would make domestically bred runners more competitive. “I believe there is a lot of potential with turf racing in the United States,” he wrote. “Most breeders and owners don’t target it.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.