#4 | Magnitude
#4 Magnitude
Then Came the Whitney
Magnitude lands at number four in my Breeders' Cup Classic Power Rankings, and this is easily the most difficult ranking on the board.
If you had asked me to rank the Classic contenders after the Stephen Foster, Magnitude would have been near the very top. But then came the Whitney.
Magnitude entered the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga as the 19-10 favorite, riding four consecutive graded-stakes victories. Then he finished sixth of seven.
He stumbled coming out of the gate, never recovered his position, and finished 15¼ lengths behind Sovereignty. His Whitney Beyer was 87, a massive drop from the 114 he earned just six weeks earlier.
- Won gate-to-wire by 1¼ lengths
- Final time 1:48.03
- Fourth straight graded-stakes win
- Sent off as the 19-10 favorite
- Stumbled at the start
- Finished 6th of 7, 15¼ lengths back
That is obviously a major concern heading into the Breeders' Cup Classic. But I'm not ready to throw out everything Magnitude accomplished before that race.
The Four-Race Winning Streak
The streak that came before the Whitney is extremely impressive:
- Late 2025 · Churchill Downs Clark Handicap WON The first win in the streak.
- Early 2026 · Oaklawn Park Grade 3 Razorback Handicap WON Opened his 2026 season with a 3¾-length win.
- March · Meydan · 1¼ miles $12 Million Dubai World Cup WON Went gate-to-wire and beat Forever Young by a length.
- Three months later · Churchill Downs · 1⅛ miles Grade 1 Stephen Foster WON Won by 1¼ lengths over Baeza, with Sovereignty another four lengths back in third. Career-best 114 Beyer.
- Aug. 8 · Saratoga Grade 1 Whitney 6TH 19-10 favorite. Stumbled at the start, beaten 15¼ lengths. 87 Beyer.
Why the Dubai World Cup Matters
That Dubai World Cup win is especially important when evaluating him against this field.
Forever Young is the defending Breeders' Cup Classic champion, and Magnitude went head-to-head with him over 1¼ miles and beat him. He did it on the international stage, going gate-to-wire at Meydan in a race worth nearly $7 million to the winner.
Magnitude has already beaten the defending Breeders' Cup Classic champion at the Classic distance.
One note on the numbers: the Beyer system doesn't assign figures to races outside North America, so there's no official Beyer from Dubai to compare with his U.S. races.
Here's how Magnitude has fared against the two horses ranked above him who he's already met:
| Rival | Race | Result |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Forever Young | Dubai World Cup | Magnitude won by a length |
| #2 Sovereignty | Stephen Foster | Magnitude won; Sovereignty 3rd |
| #2 Sovereignty | Whitney | Sovereignty won; Magnitude 6th, 15¼ lengths back |
Then came the Stephen Foster. Magnitude again went straight to the front and never gave up the lead. He covered the 1⅛ miles in 1:48.03 and earned that 114 Beyer, which remains his career-best.
The 27-Point Question
Beyer Speed Figures referenced in this breakdown
Bars start at a baseline of 80 to make the gap between figures easier to see. Beyers aren't assigned outside North America.
Throwout or Warning Sign?
That's why the Whitney is so difficult to interpret. Was it a bad race caused by the stumble and an unfavorable trip? Or was it the first sign that Magnitude's spring campaign had taken something out of him? The answer matters enormously.
It was a throwout
- He stumbled at the start and never recovered his position
- Triple-digit Beyers in all but two of his previous eight starts dating back to 2025
- One of those two exceptions was Dubai, where no Beyer is assigned
- Four straight graded-stakes wins right before it
It was a warning sign
- A 27-point Beyer drop in six weeks
- Beaten 15¼ lengths as the favorite
- A demanding spring that included a trip to Dubai
- No race since to show us otherwise
The good news is that there's real evidence the Whitney may be an outlier. Magnitude had been extremely consistent before Saratoga.
Tactical Speed: The Upside and the Risk
His résumé also shows he can handle the Classic distance: he won the Dubai World Cup at 1¼ miles. And he isn't a deep closer who needs the perfect pace.
Magnitude has natural tactical speed, which lets Jose Ortiz put him near the front without having to burn the horse early. Before the Stephen Foster, Ortiz said he expected to make the lead if Magnitude broke well because of his high cruising speed.
If Magnitude returns to his best, he can put himself into the race immediately rather than relying on a perfect setup. The risk: if several other horses insist on showing speed, he could be caught in a much tougher pace than he enjoyed in Dubai or the Stephen Foster. #3 Knightsbridge, for one, has plenty of early speed.
His Road to Keeneland
His preparation is something else I'll be watching closely.
- After the Whitney Time off Trainer Steve Asmussen gave him some time before returning him to the work tab.
- Sept. 6 Breezed a half-mile in :51.66 His first workout in about a month.
- September–October A couple more works planned Per Asmussen, before shipping to Keeneland.
- Oct. 31 · Keeneland Breeders' Cup Classic He'll have to prove the Whitney was a throwout.
✔ The Case For
- Career-best 114 Beyer in the Stephen Foster
- Beat Forever Young at 1¼ miles in Dubai
- Beat Sovereignty in the Stephen Foster
- Four straight graded-stakes wins before the Whitney
- Tactical speed to control his own trip
✖ The Concern
- 87 Beyer and a 6th-place finish in the Whitney
- Has to prove the Whitney was a throwout
- Could get caught in a hot pace
- About a month off before his Sept. 6 work
Magnitude at a Glance
- Last race
- 6th of 7, Grade 1 Whitney, Aug. 8, Saratoga
- Last-out Beyer
- 87
- Career-best Beyer
- 114, Grade 1 Stephen Foster
- 2026 record
- 4 starts: 3 wins (Razorback, Dubai World Cup, Stephen Foster)
- Trainer / jockey
- Steve Asmussen / Jose Ortiz
- Key stat
- Beat defending Classic champion Forever Young by a length at 1¼ miles in the Dubai World Cup
- Biggest question
- Was the Whitney a stumble-and-trip throwout, or the start of a decline?
The Bottom Line
Magnitude is essentially going to have to prove the Whitney was a throwout, and that's the reason he's fourth for me.
The horse who ran a 114 Beyer in the Stephen Foster belongs in the top tier of this division. The horse who finished sixth in the Whitney with an 87 Beyer does not. I'm giving more weight to the body of work than to one disastrous race, but I'm also not pretending the Whitney didn't happen.
If Magnitude returns to anything close to his Stephen Foster or Dubai World Cup form, his combination of tactical speed, proven 1¼-mile ability and elite recent Grade 1 form makes him extremely dangerous. If the Whitney was the beginning of a decline rather than an isolated bad trip, he could be vulnerable against a field with several horses coming in off stronger recent performances.
The Breeders' Cup Classic will give us the answer. That's why I have him at #4 right now.
Watch: Magnitude's Stephen Foster Win
Want to watch the race again? Here's the gate-to-wire Stephen Foster that produced his career-best 114 Beyer, with Sovereignty back in third.
Watch how easily he makes the lead and keeps cruising. This is the version of Magnitude he needs to bring to Keeneland.
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Reserve Yours for $24.99 → Full Breeders' Cup card · Reserve nowMagnitude: Quick Answers
Where does Magnitude rank in the Breeders' Cup Classic Power Rankings?
#4. His body of work, including four straight graded-stakes wins and a 114 Beyer, belongs in the top tier, but he's coming off a sixth-place finish and an 87 Beyer in the Whitney.
What happened to Magnitude in the Whitney?
He was the 19-10 favorite but stumbled coming out of the gate, never recovered his position, and finished sixth of seven, 15¼ lengths behind Sovereignty.
Has Magnitude beaten Forever Young?
Yes. He beat the defending Breeders' Cup Classic champion by a length in the $12 million Dubai World Cup, going gate-to-wire at 1¼ miles.
What is Magnitude's best Beyer Speed Figure?
114, earned winning the Grade 1 Stephen Foster gate-to-wire in 1:48.03 for 1⅛ miles.
