Magnitude Upsets Forever Young in Dubai World Cup

Magnitude's accomplishment in defeating Forever Young (JPN) in the 30th Dubai World Cup (G1) March 28 at Meydan Racecourse is measured not only in that gutsy accomplishment itself, but also by reference to his owner's and trainer's history. The Not This Time colt led all the way in the 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4 miles) World Cup and bravely held off Forever Young, ranked as the world's best dirt horse, by 1 length for owner Ron Winchell, trainer Steve Asmussen, and jockey Jose Ortiz. For Asmussen, the history was sweet. He sent out Curlin to win the 2008 World Cup at the old Nad Al Sheba track. For Winchell, it was sweet redemption, an antidote to seeing his star, Gun Runner, beaten in the stretch run in 2017 by Arrogate. For Ortiz, it was an exercise in emotions and he took a moment to rein in his feelings before guiding Magnitude to his victory party. Ortiz said there was no plan take Magnitude to the lead but, when he broke well, with Forever Young right in his wake, the race itself turned into a "catch me if you can" affair. "If he jumps well, we go to the lead," Ortiz said. "If somebody jumps better than him, we sit off it. … The good thing is, he's tactical. We don't have to have a running style. But he jumped well. He put me on the lead. I was happy to be there." Then he might have been a little less happy as the field swung into the sweeping stretch turn. "When I looked to my side passing the 600 meters, I saw Forever Young and I knew it was time to go. I knew he was going to be the horse to beat so I asked him to run and he was there for me." Magnitude opened a daylight lead early in the stretch and Forever Young cut into it but, by the 100-meter mark, it was clear the Japanese superstar, winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Saudi Cup (G1) in his two previous starts, wasn't going to get there this time. "We knew we had a very good horse but, obviously, Forever Young was the best horse in the world and we had to respect that," Ortiz said. "But we knew we had a good enough horse to win the race and he showed up today." Trainer Yoshito Yahagi said the Meydan dirt course, where Forever Young won the 2024 UAE Derby (G2) but finished third in the 2025 World Cup, "doesn't seem to suit" his horse. Jockey Ryusei Sakai added: "Everything went the way we planned. The winner was good today." Winchell led Magnitude back to the winner's enclosure with a massive smile on his face. "It's just indescribable," he said. "Especially after Gun Runner coming in second, coming back here... we knew coming here that we had a tough job to do against the world's best racehorse, so getting that done today was unbelievable." Gun Runner, also trained by Asmussen, came into his World Cup off wins in the Clark Handicap (G1) the previous November at Churchill Downs and the Razorback Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Magnitude did the same in his preparations for Dubai. Before the World Cup, Winchell said he is "trying to mimic the Gun Runner path and we'll see if that works out. … We'll see if he can take the next step. Obviously, Gun Runner was second here. We'd like to improve on that." Magnitude now has his work cut out for him if he is to duplicate Gun Runner's post-World Cup exploits. The son of Candy Ride (ARG) ran the table, winning all five races after the Dubai setback. All five were grade 1 affairs, including the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic. He took one step forward on that agenda with the World Cup win as the race is part of the Breeder's Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, guaranteeing him a slot in the Classic starting gate on Halloween at Keeneland. Meydaan (IRE), a 5-year-old Frankel (GB) gelding making just his second start on dirt, ran third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Forever Young. That backed up his victory Feb. 28 in the Al Maktoum Classic (G2), a 5 1/4-length score that had him on top of some analysts' lists. Imperial Emperor (IRE), a 6-year-old Dubawi (IRE) gelding, finished fourth on a night of disappointments for his trainer, Bhupat Seemar. Seemar, whose yard is a local powerhouse, had good chances in several of the night's events, but was shut out for winners. Among the tough beats was Six Speed's second in the UAE Derby (G2). Seemar also saddled the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers in the Godolphin Mile (G2). Hit Show, last year's surprise winner for trainer Brad Cox, finished fifth under Florent Geroux and Tumbarumba was sixth. Both run for Wathnan Racing. Heart of Honor (GB), Tap Leader, and Walk of Stars (GB) completed the order of finish. Magnitude was bred in Kentucky by Ron Stolich out of the Bernardini mare Rockadelic. Winchell Thoroughbreds haltered him for $450,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Gainesway consignment. His sire, Not This Time, by Giant's Causeway, won the 2016 Iroquois Stakes (G3), then was retired after finishing second behind Classic Empire in that year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). Not This Time stands at Taylor Made Stallions near Nicholasville, Ky., for a 2026 fee of $250,000.