He knows one thing, though: the buzz around the annual event has never been stronger.
Stewart, the long-serving White Robe Lodge stud manager, and his team are at the Karaka Sales Centre, just south of Auckland, for the yearly gathering of racing powerhouses looking to find their next champion.
White Robe has three Ancient Spirit fillies at the sales — two in Book 1, starting on Sunday, and one in Book 2, starting on Wednesday.
Stewart said there was a palpable sense of excitement around Karaka in the same week as New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s announcement of massive stakes increases over the next two years.
He had noticed a lot more potential buyers from Australia, too.
"I think that’s off the back of results in the last year or two and how New Zealand horses have been performing in Australia," Stewart said.
"There’s a good vibe. And the other main thing is with the announcements of prize money. Surely that is going to flow through.
"Now you can race a horse and actually make money out of it. You can buy a good horse and win good money from the bottom of the South Island to the top of the North Island.
"It’s going to make racing stronger and better.
"It’s the best I’ve seen in my lifetime. Like Brian Anderton said the other night, it just puts a spring in your step."
The White Robe Lodge entries at Karaka were all very promising, Stewart said.
First to go under the hammer is an Erin’s Babe filly, a close relation to Capo Dell Impero, recent winner of both the Cromwell Cup and Waikouaiti Cup.
The other Book 1 entry is a "lovely" filly out of Coulee, a Gallant Guru mare.
"They both should sell really well," Stewart said.
Book 2 features a filly by Ancient Spirit out of Zenno Queen, a granddaughter of Zabeel.
A fourth White Robe Lodge filly, out of Swelter, was withdrawn.
Ancient Spirit, the champion three-miler in Italy and Germany, joined the North Taieri stud’s stallion roster in 2021.
The decision was made to focus on Ancient Spirit’s progeny, not those of fellow White Robe poster boy Ghibellines, at Karaka this year.
"We sort of wanted to back Ancient Spirit and really show him off," Stewart said.
"We’re really happy with him."
