Paladin joins Magnitude to stand stud at Coolmore
:quality(75))
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Magnitude’s racing career came to an earlier-than-expected end when on Thursday he was scratched from Saturday’s $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland due to the suspected beginnings of a suspensory issue in his left foreleg.
Magnitude’s stallion career will begin as expected in 2027 as Coolmore America announced shortly after the scratch that Magnitude would stand at stud at Ashford Stud in Lexington next year.
In the same release officially announcing Magnitude’s retirement, Coolmore also announced that Paladin, the undefeated multiple graded stakes-winning 3-year-old, is also retired and that he would stand stud in 2027 at Ashford Stud.
“We are absolutely devastated that Magnitude has been scratched, as he was training just like he was before the Dubai World Cup,” said Charlie O’Connor, Director of Sales at Ashford Stud, said in a press release. “However, we are incredibly excited to showcase two colts of this caliber at the stallion barn. Magnitude has proven himself to be an absolute powerhouse on the world’s biggest stages, and Paladin is a strikingly handsome, undefeated son of Gun Runner who showed immense brilliance before his unfortunate injury.”
Magnitude was scratched after a PET scan done Thursday “revealed some disruption in the suspensory fibers of his left foreleg; after discussions with [Winchell Thoroughbreds’] Ron Winchell and David Fiske, err on the side of caution and not take any risk with a tremendous horse,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “Nothing short of heartbroken because of how well we expected him to run.”
Magnitude, a son of Not This Time who sold for $450,000 at the 2023 Keeneland yearling sale, retires with a record of 8-2-1 from 15 starts with earnings of $8,626,365.
Magnitude was a multiple Grade 2 stakes winner at age 3 but was having a breakout 4-year-old campaign that included wins over Forever Young in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup and Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster. He hit a speed bump when he finished sixth in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga, a track over which he had previously run poorly in the 2025 Travers.
Magnitude had drawn rave reviews for his training since he arrived at Keeneland, whether it was his morning gallops or his workouts.
“As talented a horse as anybody’s ever had their hands on and on his day, he has proven capable of beating anybody,” Asmussen said.
Paladin, trained by Chad Brown, was among the early leaders on the Kentucky Derby trail this year after winning the Grade 2 Risen Star in February, beating, among others, subsequent Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo. But in subsequent training he suffered a condylar fracture that forced him to miss the spring classics.
Paladin did make it back to Brown in July at Saratoga but after a month of training, Brown had to stop on him again. Ultimately, the decision was made to retire him.
Paladin, a son of Gun Runner who sold for $1.9 million as a yearling as Fasig-Tipton in August of 2024, retires with a 3-for-3 record, including a victory in the Grade 2 Remsen last year, with earnings of $484,250.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.