Magnitude rips up Dubai World Cup script to deliver a sensational Meydan shocker

The script was written, the stage perfectly set at Dubai’s iconic Meydan Racecourse on Saturday night.

All signs pointed to Japanese superstar Forever Young completing a hat-trick of wins for the ages. Instead, the $12 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline delivered another twist, one even more jarring than 12 months ago when Hit Show won the great race at long odds of 80-1.

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Magnitude, a four-year-old American-bred colt whose name suddenly carried real weight, tore up the narrative.

Breaking sharply from the inside under Puerto Rican jockey Jose Ortiz, he seized control early and never let go, dictating terms with authority and composure. Behind, the heavily supported Forever Young, widely hailed as the world’s best dirt horse after his Breeders’ Cup (G1) and  Saudi Cup (G1) triumphs, was forced to chase, a position he has rarely occupied comfortably.

By the time the nine-horse field swung for home, the race had already begun to slip from the favourite’s grasp.

Magnitude lengthened when it mattered down the Meydan straight. Forever Young responded, as champions do, but the deficit proved just out of reach as he was slightly outpaced inside the crucial final furlong, where races are won or lost.

At the line, the American colt still had a length in hand, with Dubai-owned Meydaan, winner of the key prep race for this contest, the G2 Maktoum Classic sponsored by Emirates Airline, running on strongly for third, 2 ¾ lengths adrift of the leading pair.

For trainer Steve Asmussen, it was a familiar feeling. Having previously lifted the World Cup with Curlin in 2008 and gone close with Gun Runner in 2017, this was a victory built on execution.

“We just wanted to let him run his race from point A to point B,” Asmussen, the 60-year-old maestro from Dakota with over 1,100 career successes, said. “The horse is running with a lot of confidence, and that gave us confidence. It unfolded just how we wanted it to.”

Ridden with clarity and intent by Ortiz, Magnitude’s race was won in the opening strides. The plan was simple: adapt if necessary, but commit if the opportunity presented itself. And it did.

All options open

“We left all the options open,” Ortiz explained. “If he jumped well, we could go forward. If not, we’d sit. He broke cleanly, and I knew it was time to go. When I asked him, he was there for me.”

Behind him, Ryusei Sakai had few regrets. Forever Young ran his race, just not well enough to rewrite history.

“Everything went the way we planned,” Sakai said. “But the winner was very good today.”

There were rumblings, too, about Meydan’s dirt once again proving elusive for Forever Young, who was beaten to third in the contest 12 months ago. And legendary Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi, ever gracious in defeat, acknowledged the track may not have played to his horse’s strengths.

For many, the focus had been on what Forever Young might achieve, a clean sweep of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup to become the highest grosser in racing history. It was a narrative that gathered momentum throughout the week.

Humbling experience

But racing has a way of humbling even the most compelling storylines.

On Saturday night, Magnitude was simply the better horse.

Having skipped the Saudi Cup and arriving fresher than most, his preparation proved decisive. A smooth lead-up in the Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn had him primed, and from the moment the gates opened, he ran like a horse ready to take his chance.

The result leaves Forever Young just short of another milestone, his earnings now edging beyond $31.8 million, closing in on the all-time mark of $32.8 million held by the Hong Kong wonder horse, Romantic Warrior. But that pursuit will have to wait.

Once again, the Dubai World Cup proved that in racing, anything can happen.

$12 million Dubai World Cup (Group 1), Sponsored by Emirates Airline 2,000m Dirt

1st: Magnitude (USA)
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Trainer: Steve Asmussen

2nd: Forever Young (JPN) – 0.98L
3rd: Meydaan (IRE) – 3.97L
4th: Imperial Emperor (IRE) – 4.08L
5th: Hit Show (USA) – 7.36L
6th: Tumbarumba (USA) – 7.76L
7th: Heart Of Honor (GB) – 16.15L
8th: Tap Leader (USA) – 25.00L
9th: Walk Of Stars (GB) – 37.82L