Kentucky billionaire John Stewart goes on Magic Millions buying frenzy with $3.4m splurge in 10 minutes

American billionaire has made a huge splash in the Australian bloodstock industry and continued his spending spree early in 2025 at the Magic Millions on Tuesday.

John Stewart was on fire early at the Magic Millions on Tuesday. Picture: Twitter

Big spending American billionaire John Stewart has struck a blow at the Magic Millions, going on a buying frenzy on day one of the sale at the Gold Coast, purchasing the progeny of super mares Away Game and Avantage.

Stewart couldn’t make it to Australia due to a late “family emergency”, however he was on fire on Tuesday when he splashed more than $3m in the space of 10 minutes.

The Kentucky-based businessman famously went to $9m on Winx’s first filly at the Inglis Easter Sale last year, and was keen to run his numbers up at the Magic Millions where he was bidding online.

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Stewart bought the I Am Invincible filly out of Kiwi superstar Avantage for $1.6m and Away Game’s Written Tycoon filly for $1.8m.

The Away Game filly will be trained by master trainer Ciaron Maher, who was on the phone to Stewart at the time of the sale.

Maher won the Magic Millions in 2020 with Away Game.

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It marked a record amount as a seller for Yulong, who paid $4m for Away Game as a broodmare and went a great distance to recovering that cost on Tuesday.

“We are stoked, it is the best result we have had a Yulong,” Yulongs general manager Vin Cox said.

“It is great for Mr Zhang and his family to get a sale of this order.

John Stewart (right) was spending up at the Magic Millions on Tuesday. Picture: Supplied

“You never expect that sort of money, so it was great to get it here today.

“From very early on we knew we had a pretty special article and all the way through she has been low maintenance and looks like a racehorse, she looks like her mother and hopefully Mr John Stewart has some success with her.

“Yulong is about operating across all facets of the industry at the elite level, I think you can say we did that today.”

It took Stewart to nine purchases for the day, where he went to $625,000 to buy a Home Affairs filly out of Witherspoon and also bought a colt by the first season sire earlier in the day for $225,000.

He also spent $500,000 on an Extreme Choice filly out of Ariaz.

Originally published as Kentucky billionaire John Stewart goes on Magic Millions buying frenzy with $3.4m splurge in 10 minutes