Magnitude seeks in Meydan the triumph that was denied to Gun Runner

The team of Steven Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds returns to the Dubai World Cup (G1) for an unforgettable victory

Magnitude shines during the Meydan morning works / DRC

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Special for Turf Diario).— There are memories that return with force when the calendar marks Dubai. For the Winchell Thoroughbreds team, the Dubai World Cup (G1) is not just a race: it is an unfinished story.

In 2017, Gun Runner seemed to have everything under control with 400 meters to go at Meydan. But Arrogate(Unbridled's Song) appeared, with an out-of-this-world performance, to snatch the glory. That night remained engraved as a mixture of pride and frustration with the son of the Argentine crack Candy Ride.

Now, almost a decade later, the stable's new standard-bearer, Magnitude, will attempt to write his own page… and, in passing, settle that symbolic debt.

The parallelism is not accidental. Like Gun Runner in his time, Magnitude arrives in Dubai following an identical preparation: victory in the Clark Handicap (G2) at Churchill Downs and another success in the Razorback Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park. A path that invites hope, though without losing sight of the stature of the challenge. Because this time, the rival to beat has a name of his own: Forever Young (Real Steel).

From Kentucky, racing manager David Fiske maintains a balance between confidence and realism: “I’m fairly confident he’s going to run well; he always does. The horse is in great shape, even better after the Razorback. We felt it was worth the shot.”

The training of the bay, closely supervised by Scott Blasi, long-time assistant to Steve Asmussen, reinforces the feeling that Magnitude arrives at his peak.

However, the déjà vu is inevitable. “Gun Runner lost to who was considered the best horse in the world at that time. He also came from winning the Razorback and had a very similar profile to Magnitude,” Fiske recalled.

That defeat, far from overshadowing the campaign, was the prelude to a historic consecration: Gun Runner won his next five races, all G1s, and ended up being Horse of the Year in the United States in 2017.

Therefore, beyond the result, the experience in Dubai continues to hold a special value: “Gun Runner gave us incredible moments. When he entered the stretch in the Kentucky Derby, when he fought the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile… and leading in the World Cup was another of those great instances.”

Today, history is set in motion once again. Magnitude is not only running against elite rivals, but against the weight of comparison and expectation. And although the ultimate goal is clear, Fiske keeps his feet on the ground: “It’s exciting to be part of this race. We expect him to run his usual race. If that is enough to be the best in the world… well, we’ll see.”

At Meydan, where stories are written at maximum speed, Magnitude will seek something more than a victory. He will seek, as Gun Runner once did, to turn an illusion into a legacy.