Magnitude won the $12 million Dubai World Cup on Saturday night at Meydan Racecourse, upsetting Japan’s Saudi Cup hero Forever Young to hand trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Jose Ortiz one of the biggest results in horse racing.
The American horse led from the gate and never looked back, winning by a length in a time of 2:04.28 over 2,000 metres on dirt. Forever Young, the heavy favourite, finished second. Ireland’s Meydaan came third, with Imperial Emperor fourth in a tight photo for the minor places.
Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, the 4-year-old son of Not This Time now stands 7-2-1 from 13 career starts. For Asmussen, it was his second Dubai World Cup — his first came with the great Curlin back in 2008. Not a bad pair of wins to have on the resume.
The result was a genuine upset. Forever Young came in having won the Saudi Cup twice and was the horse everyone expected to beat. That Magnitude went wire-to-wire against that field on the Meydan dirt says everything about how Jose Ortiz rode the race — and how well Asmussen had the horse ready.
The field included defending champion Hit Show, Saudi Cup winner Forever Young, and Imperial Emperor, making the result no formality. That Magnitude came through a field of that quality on the Meydan dirt is the measure of what Asmussen and Ortiz delivered on the night.
Dubai World Cup 2026 Winners of All Races
The night’s nine winners, in order, were as follows.
- Falaah, ridden by Al Moatasem Al Balushi and trained by Ahmed Al Balushi, took the Dubai Kahayla Classic for Purebred Arabians.
- Banishing, under Silvestre De Sousa for trainer David Jacobson, won the Godolphin Mile.
- Fairy Glen, ridden by Mickael Barzalona and trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, claimed the Dubai Gold Cup — owned by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
- Wonder Dean, ridden by Cristian Demuro and trained by Daisuke Takayanagi, took the UAE Derby.
- Native Approach won the Al Quoz Sprint under Connor Beasley, trained by Ahmad Bin Harmash.
- Dark Saffron, also ridden by Beasley and trained by Bin Harmash, won the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
- Godolphin’s Ombudsman won the Dubai Turf under William Buick for trainers John and Thady Gosden.
- Calandagan, the world’s highest-rated racehorse, won the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic under Mickael Barzalona for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and owners Aga Khan Studs SCEA.
Connor Beasley Becomes The Day’s MVP
Connor Beasley had the sharpest night of any jockey on the card — winning two Group 1 races on the same evening with Native Approach in the Al Quoz Sprint and Dark Saffron in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, both trained by Ahmad Bin Harmash. For a jockey based in UAE racing, a Group 1 double on Dubai World Cup Night is the sort of result careers are measured by.
Dubai World Cup 2026
The 2026 edition marked the 30th running of the Dubai World Cup, a race envisioned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and first run in 1996 at Nad Al Sheba. What started with American wonder horse Cigar winning the inaugural edition is now a nine-race, $30.5 million night that draws the world’s best horses, trainers, and jockeys to Dubai every March.
The Dubai World Cup is the closing act of the Dubai Racing Carnival and one of the richest races in the world, sponsored by Emirates Airline and organised by Dubai Racing Club.
It is run over 2,000 metres on dirt at Meydan, a Group 1 thoroughbred race open to four-year-olds and older — the dirt track championship stage that American stables have historically dominated, though Japan and Europe have closed the gap considerably.
What’s Next In Horse Racing Calendar?
The next major date on the international racing calendar is the Kentucky Derby on 2 May 2026 at Churchill Downs — the 152nd running of the race, known as the most exciting two minutes in sports. In a neat connection from Saturday night, Wonder Dean’s UAE Derby victory earned Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby schedule, meaning Meydan’s results could yet shape what lines up at Churchill Downs in five weeks.
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