Before watching his horses perform in major races, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will often position himself away from the trackside crowd, preferring to be alone and focused on the impending race.
He wasn't the only one dialed in June 27 at Churchill Downs. So, too, was his standout 4-year-old Magnitude, who took charge from the start in the $1,998,000 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) and dominated wire to wire under Jose Ortiz. Left in his wake were grade 1 winners Baeza, Sovereignty, and White Abarrio, plus the longshot Willy D's—none of whom could keep pace with Magnitude.
Only Baeza made it somewhat close late, mounting a belated rally from last after a tardy start, but even his rally fell short of threatening the winner, who crossed the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front. Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty was another 4 lengths back in third, his bid fizzling through the stretch after a second-turn advance.
Though the eventual start went flawlessly for Magnitude, Asmussen did have some nervous moments watching trackside when Magnitude busted through the gate just as the field loaded ahead of the break. To his relief, an assistant starter in the gate with Magnitude kept hold of the colt, and a run-off situation and possible scratch were avoided.
Reloaded moments later after a quick examination, Magnitude ran as if the incident had never happened. He was away sharply, unlike Baeza and, to a lesser extent, Willy D's.
Magnitude quickly spurted clear under a hustling ride from Jose Ortiz, and turned back all challengers, just as he had in defeating Japanese star Forever Young three months earlier in the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) in the Middle East. Those victories followed pace-pressing victories in the Feb. 28 Razorback Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park, and last fall's Clark Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.
"What an amazing horse," a jubilant Asmussen said. "What a perfect story for all of us that know horses. He came through the program, reaching the heights that he has, with him beating Forever Young last time, and then the field that he beat today. What a special day, what a special moment."
Magnitude's perfection this year, punctuated by Saturday's triumph against a star-studded field, is likely to send him to the top of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll—a media poll that rates horses bidding to become Horse of the Year. Magnitude had been second behind Metropolitation Handicap (G1) winner Nysos in the last round of voting earlier this week.
Future races, both for Nysos and Magnitude, will go a long way toward determining Horse of the Year—plus what Baeza, Sovereignty, and 3-year-old Golden Tempo, winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1), accomplish in the months ahead.
Ortiz, who won his fourth race of the day aboard Magnitude, is also the rider of Golden Tempo, and that colt's achievements under the rider, as well as Magnitude's, leave him as the front-runner to be champion jockey six months into the season.
"It's been an amazing year," he said.
Magnitude, a 4-year-old son of Not This Time , clocked 1 1/8 miles on a sloppy, sealed track in 1:48.03 following splits of :23.88, :47.38, 1:10.90, and 1:35.37. The winner, who swapped his leads late in the race, as is his custom, returned $7.16 for a $2 win wager as the second favorite behind 4-5 Sovereignty.
The latter—racing at Churchill Downs for the first time since winning the 2025 Kentucky Derby over a sloppy track—lost for the second time in as many starts this year. Godolphin's homebred Into Mischief colt had been second to White Abarrio in the April 18 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at Oaklawn Park in his season debut, his first start since winning last summer's Travers Stakes (G1).
Sovereignty's trainer, Hall of Famer Bill Mott, noted that Junior Alvarado acknowledged the field got away from Sovereignty on the backstretch, instead of the colt advancing under his own power, a trait he showed last year. Urged into action on the second turn by Alvarado, Sovereignty reached contention but couldn't sustain his bid.
"I thought he'd finish better than that," Mott said.
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As for slow-starting Baeza, who Mott began training this year after the death of prior trainer John Shirreffs, "I thought momentarily he might wind up running down the winner but, with him too, the pace was just a little bit soft for him."
Asmussen won the Stephen Foster for a leading third time Saturday, following success with Curlin (2008) and Gun Runner (2017), both of whom were honored as Horse of the Year in the season of their Stephen Foster victories. Curlin was also Horse of the Year in 2007 during his 3-year-old campaign.
Curlin captured the Dubai World Cup before the Stephen Foster, while Gun Runner was second in it.
Winning owner Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds said Magnitude would likely follow a Gun Runner-like campaign over the rest of the year—meaning Saratoga is likely next with the obvious fall prize of the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland squarely in their sights.
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The $1 million Aug. 8 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course appears most likely. It was a race that Gun Runner, owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm, took immediately after the Foster during his Horse of the Year Campaign.
The Stephen Foster was part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, providing an automatic, paid berth into the Classic—though Magnitude already had such an award from capturing the Dubai World Cup.
Magnitude made $1,238,000 Saturday to advance his earnings to $9,782,365 from a record 8-2-1 in 14 starts. His Stephen Foster victory was his sixth in stakes company.
Bred in Kentucky by Ron Stolich, the colt is out of the Bernardini mare Rockadelic. He was a $450,000 purchase by Winchell Thoroughbreds from the Gainesway consignment at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The leading stallion in North America, Not This Time, stood for $250,000 this breeding season at Taylor Made Stallions in Kentucky.
