Magnitude's victory over Forever Young in the 30^th Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline March 28 at Meydan Racecourse can be judged not only by the considerable achievement itself but also by recalling his owner's and trainer's history.

The Not This Time colt led all the way in the 2,000-meter (about 1 ¼ miles) World Cup and bravely held off Forever Young, ranked as the world's best dirt horse, by one length for owner Ron Winchell, trainer Steve Asmussen, and jockey Jose Ortiz.

For Asmussen, the day’s result marked another career milestone in the desert. He sent out Curlin to win the 2008 World Cup at the old Nad Al Sheba track. For Winchell, Magnitude’s win was sweet redemption, an antidote to seeing his star, Gun Runner, beaten in the World Cup stretch run in 2017 by Arrogate.

For Ortiz, the World Cup win 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 in the race 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.”

Ortiz 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,” he said. “I knew he was going to be the horse to beat so I asked (Magnitude) 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 last fall’s Longines Breeders' Cup Classic and the Feb. 14 $20 million Saudi Cup 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 Sponsored by Atlantis The Royal 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.”

Ortiz and Magnitude after the win. (Dubai Racing Club)

Ron 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.”

Magnitude has his work cut out for him if he is to duplicate Gun Runner's post-World Cup exploits. After the runner-up finish to Arrogate, Winchell’s son of Candy Ride ran the table, winning all five races to close out his career. All five were Grade 1 affairs, including the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Magnitude took one step forward on that agenda with his World Cup win as the race is part of the Breeder's Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge program, guaranteeing him a slot in the Longines Classic starting gate on Halloween at Keeneland.

Meydaan, a 5-year-old Frankel gelding making just his second start on dirt, ran into third, 2 ¾ lengths behind Forever Young. Hit Show, last year's surprise Dubai World Cup winner for trainer Brad Cox, finished fifth under Florent Geroux.

Japan’s Wonder Dean Wins UAE Derby, Earns Kentucky Derby Bid

Wonder Dean wins UAE Derby. (Eclipse Sportswire)

If there was any doubt the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve runs through Dubai, Wonder Dean erased it by running down favorite Six Speed in the stretch to win the $1 million United Arab Emirates Derby Sponsored by Jumeirah Saturday at Meydan, earning an automatic bid to the May 2 run for the roses.

Following in the steps of Derma Sotogake in 2023, Forever Young in 2024, and Admire Daytona in 2025, all of whom won in Dubai and went on to contest the Kentucky Derby, the Dee Majesty colt earned 100 points on the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard to finish on top. His connections confirmed they plan to make the trip to Louisville, Ky.

A tough international contingent for the Kentucky Derby may have assembled within a matter of hours as Six Speed’s connections indicated they are still interested, and the official Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard ended in a tie after results at Nakayama Racecourse earlier in the day.

As expected, Kentucky-bred Six Speed, winner of the UAE Two Thousand Guineas Presented by Longines in his previous start, shot out to the lead in the UAE Derby. He led down the backstretch and through the turn but the added distance of the 1,800-meters (about 1 1/8 miles) race appeared to catch up with him and Wonder Dean got by to win by a lengthening 2 ½ lengths. Pyromancer, shipped in from Japan by Godolphin, was third, another six lengths back.

]Wonder Dean entered the race with only a maiden win to his credit. He finished 2025 with two second-place finishes, then reported fourth in the Saudi Derby Presented By ZOOD Realty Feb. 14 in Riyadh. In Dubai, things finally went his way.

“He jumped really well from the gate,” said winning rider Cristian Demuro. “I was really confident at the corner that I could catch the front runner and he did it really easily.”

Asked if Wonder Dean can get the 1 ¼ miles of the Kentucky Derby, Demuro said, “Yeah. Why not?”

Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi seemed surprised to be asked if Wonder Dean now is headed to Kentucky.

“Yes, of course,” Takayanagi said. “He will run well at Churchill Downs.”

UAE Derby-winning connections. (Dubai Racing Club)

Churchill Downs rules for the series specify “up to two” horses from the Euro/Mideast “Road” may be offered invitations to the Kentucky Derby. Reed Zimmer, part owner of Six Speed, said the Bhupat Seemar trainee and son of Not This Time also is headed back to his state of origin.

“He’s definitely going to the U.S.,” said Zimmer, gracing the winner’s enclosure in a pink western suit. “He’s going to the Derby. He will 100% go to the Kentucky Derby.”

In Japan, the final leg of the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” left the results up in the air.

Danon Bourbon, a Maxfield colt, won the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse, earning 40 points in his first appearance in the series. Only one scenario could have denied him the automatic bid to the Kentucky Derby – a runner-up showing by Don Erectus, who finished second in both the first and third legs and came into the Fukuryu with 20 points.

That’s just what happened. Don Erectus finished second, earning another 20 points to tie Danon Bourbon. By the Churchill Downs rules, the tiebreaker is lifetime earnings, which would give the nod to Don Erectus.

However, the winner also must be nominated to the U.S. Triple Crown to be eligible. Don Erectus is not an original nominee, but Danon Bourbon is. So the outcome of the series hangs on whether Don Erectus’ owner, Danox Co. Ltd., is sufficiently tempted to pony up a $6,000 supplemental nomination fee to make him eligible.

Danon Bourbon’s connections would be interested, trainer Manabu Ikezoe after the race.