Magnitude

Magnitude won his maiden race in his second lifetime start as a 2-year-old at Ellis Park on July 20, 2024. He earned a second win in an allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 17. The wins earned Magnitude a trip to the Fair Grounds on Dec. 21 for his next start in the $96,000 Gun Runner Stakes, where he finished second. The Gun Runner Stakes was a points race on the road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, and with his runner-up finish he earned five qualifying points.

Magnitude made a big positive step in his following race, which came in his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 2 $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Far Grounds on Feb. 15, 2025. Magnitude showed improved early speed to get the lead in the Risen Star and then was able to power away atop the 12-horse field to earn a decisive 9 3/4-length victory in the Key Kentucky Derby prep race.

After a minor ankle chip caused Magnitude to miss the Triple Crown series, the colt returned from the sidelines on July 5 with a huge win in the $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows. Sent off as the 3-5 favorite on the tote board in a six-horse field in the Iowa Derby, Magnitude powered to a 9 1/4-length victory in a time of 1:42.26 for the 1 1/16 miles under jockey Ben Curtis.

Magnitude returned to the top level of competition for his next outing which came in the Grade 1 $1.25 million DraftKings Travers Stakes on Aug. 23 at Saratoga. He finished a distant third in a five-horse field behind runaway winner Sovereignty.

He then targeted the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 20 at Parx Racing, and the colt rebounded to top form with a very good runner-up finish behind favorite Baeza. Magnitude was taken off of the early lead in the Pennsylvania Derby after setting the early pace in his three prior starts including his blowout wins in the Risen Star and Iowa Derby, and finished well under Ben Curtis.

That set Magnitude up for his first start against older horses in the Grade 2 Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. Jockey Jose Ortiz settled Magnitude in a pace-pressing spot behind fellow 3-year-old Chunk of Gold through the backstretch and into the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile race. The colt dueled gallantly with a game Chunk of Gold through the homestretch, edged clear nearing the finish, and was all out to hold off charging Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show in the final strides and prevail by a half-length as the 2.18-1 favorite.

Magnitude returned for the start of his 4-year-old campaign on Feb. 28, 2026, in the Grade 3 $500,000 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park. Sent off as the 4-5 favorite on the tote board in a field of six in the Razorback, Magnitude pressed the pace throughout the race, took control at the top of the stretch, and dominated the field the rest of the way enroute to a 3 3/4-length win under jockey Jose Ortiz.

That Razorback win prepared Magnitude for his biggest race to date – a matchup against international superstar Forever Young, winner of the 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic and 2026 Saudi Cup, in the March 28 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airlines at Meydan Racecourse.

Magnitude and jockey Jose Ortiz made the trip to Dubai along with a handful of other horses and connections despite an ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and the World Cup was held as scheduled. When the gate opened, Magnitude broke sharp under Ortiz and took the lead early in the $12 million World Cup, with Forever Young shadowing to his outside. The colt responded to every cue from his jockey and opened up on Forever Young and the field in the far turn and into the homestretch of the 2,000-meter (about 1 ¼-mile) race and then was all out to hold off a late challenge from Forever Young to prevail by a length. Magnitude earned a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Oct. 31 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic with the win.

Magnitude returned stateside for his next race and faced more of the world's best dirt track horses in the $2 million Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on June 28. Sent off as the 2.58-1 second choice in a five-horse field in the Foster that included Sovereignty and White Abarrio, Magnitude went right to the front and led all the way enroute to a 1 1/4-length win over Baeza with Sovereignty third. Magnitude went the distance in a time of 1:48.02 on a sloppy track with Jose Ortiz aboard.

Magnitude is trained by Steve Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds. He was bred in Kentucky by the sire Not This Time out of the mare Rockadelic by Bernardini.