With a sensational surge out of the starting gate, Magnitude stole the show in the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1), leading from gate-to-wire and holding off Japan superstar Forever Young at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday.
Forever Young came into the 30th edition of the Dubai World Cup looking to avenge a third-place finish in last year’s race. But try as hard as he could, the odds-on favorite could not overcome Magnitude’s brilliant break from the inside post 1.
The plan was to wait and see what happened at the start, and perhaps sit back off the early leaders, but “he jumped so well,’’ said winning jockey Jose Ortiz, “I told (owner) Ron (Winchell), ‘if he breaks too good out of the 1 hole, I’m going.’ He did, and I made the decision on the first turn.”
Magnitude, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, had been pointed to the 2,000-meter (about 1 ¼ miles) Dubai World Cup for months. The one-time Kentucky Derby contender, sidelined by injury a year ago, returned with a vengeance last year. He won the Clark Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs to close out 2025, then won the Razorback Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 28.
Even with a U.S.-Israel war against Iran going on, Magnitude’s owner Ron Mitchell was willing to send his horse to Dubai. And it paid off handsomely as the winner’s share was over $6.8 million.
Forever Young (the 8-11 favorite), meanwhile, ran a solid race in the field of nine, as he stalked the pace under Ryusei Saki set by Magnitude (15-2). But Ortiz and Magnitude would not give an inch.
"When I looked to my side passing the 600 meters, I saw Forever Young, and I knew it was time to go,’’ Ortiz said. “I knew he was going to be the horse to beat, so I asked him to run, and he was there for me.
“He really dug in in the last 300 meters, and today he’s the best horse in the world.”
Asmussen, who was not in Dubai for the race, said: “What an incredible win. We just wanted to let him run his race from point A to point B. The horse is running with a lot of confidence, and that gave us confidence. It unfolded just how we wanted it to.”
Asmussen won the DWC with Curlin in 2008 and finished second in the race with Gun Runner in 2017.
Hit Show, who upset Forever Young last year, was not a serious threat and finished fifth. Meydaan was third, Imperial Emperor fourth, with Tumbarumba sixth, Heart of Honor seventh, Tap Leader eighth, and Walk of Stars ninth.
Forever Young’s trainer Yoshito Yahagi believes the Meydan track “doesn’t seem to suit” his horse. He did win the UAE Derby (G2) on the track in 2024, but it was a workmanlike success that rated below the rest of his performances at three.
“Everything went the way we planned, but the winner was good today,” Sakai said.
In earlier races on Dubai World Cup Day:
In an amazing finish, champion Calandagan made up a 10-length deficit behind West Wind Blows under Mickael Barzalona and closed from four lengths back with 400 meters to go before winning by three-quarters of a length.
“He has an amazing stride, and he also has an amazing motor and a will to win. You can always tell with him, the last few strides, he puts his entire soul into it. It’s amazing to watch,’’ owner Princess Zahra Aga Khan said.
Godolphin-owned Ombudsman, trained by John and Thady Gosden, won the Dubai Turf for the fourth time, topping Quddwah by two lengths, with Andreas Vesalius a close third.
Dark Saffron ended a five-race losing streak and won the Dubai Golden Shaeen for the second year in a row, edging Bentornato.
Wonder Dean overtook Six Speed in the stretch and won the UAE Derby, the final race in the Euro-Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby. The trainers of both horses indicated they would run in the Derby on May 2 as they finished 1-2 on the leaderboard and earned automatic invitations to the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
