Magnitude pointing for Saudi Cup

Not long after winning the Clark Stakes on Nov. 30, Magnitude shipped south and settled comfortably into his winter home in the Steve Asmussen barn at Fair Grounds. His next race comes far from home: the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 14 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.

“Magnitude will be in New Orleans until he gets on a plane and goes to Saudi Arabia,” said David Fiske, racing manager for Ron Winchell’s Winchell Thoroughbreds, Magnitude’s owner. “He’s doing great. I get videos of him every morning.”

Fiske said Magnitude won’t have a prep race before the Saudi Cup, contested over 1,800 meters, about 1 1/8 miles, around one turn.

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“The one-turn mile and an eighth in Riyadh ought to be okay for him. We’ll see after that,” Fiske said, leaving the door open for further travel in the region for the $12 million Dubai World on March 28.

Magnitude, by Not This Time, finished seventh, a distant second, and sixth in his first three stakes starts before roaring to a 9 3/4-length victory in the Risen Star on Feb. 15, a performance that yielded a 108 Beyer Speed Figure, as good as it gets for an early season 3-year-old. But Magnitude exited the Risen Star with a chipped ankle that required surgical repair and led to a five-month layoff. After an easy comeback score in the Iowa Derby, Magnitude disappointed in the Travers, beaten more than 20 lengths by Sovereignty, but rebounded with a second in the Pennsylvania Derby before beating older rivals, including 2025 Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show, in the Clark.

He’s likely to meet considerably stronger competition in Saudi Arabia. American horses Nysos and Bishops Bay have the Saudi Cup as a potential target, as do international stars Forever Young and Romantic Warrior, first and second after an epic battle in this year’s Saudi Cup. Forever Young went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, while Romantic Warrior this weekend tries to win the $5.3 million Hong Kong Cup for the fourth straight year.

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