America
Magnitude makes a statement in Stephen Foster
By Steve Sherack, TDN
The year of Jose Ortiz continues.
After guiding home Golden Tempo (Curlin) to a pair of Classic wins earlier this spring, Ortiz steered Winchell Thoroughbred's Magnitude (Not This Time) to a statement-making, 1.25-length front-running victory in Saturday's highly anticipated G1 Stephen Foster Stakes at a sloppy Churchill Downs, a 'Win and You're In' for the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Off as the 5-2 second choice after defeating the globe-trotting superstar Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) in the G1 Dubai World Cup last out on March 28, Magnitude left the stalls running. Last year's G1 Pennsylvania Derby winner Baeza (McKinzie) was second-best, four lengths ahead of his Bill Mott-trained stablemate and 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief).
“What an amazing horse (Magnitude).” - Steve Asmussen
“What an amazing horse,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen said. “What a perfect story for all of us. A horse who came through the program, reaching the heights that he has with him beating Forever Young last time and the field that he beat today. What a special day, what a special moment.”
Drawn on the outside in the compact field of five, Magnitude broke through the starting gate before the start and was reloaded without incident. “11,266 (previous) career wins and that's the first one I've ever had after breaking through the gate beforehand,” Asmussen said.
“People have tried to compare him to some of the great horses we've had over the years, and he just keeps living up to the hype,” winning owner Ron Winchell said. “I was a little nervous in the stretch, but Jose kept finding more, and so did Magnitude.”
Steve Asmussen | Image courtesy of WinStar Farm
Pedigree: One of 13 top-level winners for leading young sire Not This Time, Magnitude was produced by the Bernardini mare Rockadelic, a daughter of multiple Grade 1 winner and G1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up Octave (Unbridled's Song).
Magnitude, a US$310,000 (AU$449,000) Keeneland November weanling turned US$450,000 (AU$652,000) Keeneland September yearling, was bred in Kentucky by Ron Stolich. He has won eight of his 14 starts and over US$9.7 million (AU$14 million).
Ireland
G1 Pretty Polly Stakes won by Estrange
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
Benefiting from the below-par effort of Thundering On (Frankel), Estrange (Night Of Thunder) stepped up to achieve Group 1 glory in Saturday's Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh.
With the Oaks heroine unable to come close to her Epsom standard, it was left to Cheveley Park Stud's 5-year-old to take control of the 10-furlong feature and bring it home for David O'Meara and jockey Danny Tudhope.
Well supported into 13-8 second favouritism, the grey, who had finished runner-up in the Yorkshire Oaks and British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes last term seized the advantage inside the final two furlongs and drew away to score by 1.5 lengths from One Look (Gleneagles). There was another half a length back to Red Letter (Frankel) in third, with the 11-10 favourite Thundering On beaten a total of 2.5 lengths in fourth. Joseph O'Brien's Oaks winner was later reported to be coughing post race.
“She is a wonderful filly. She was maybe caught a little bit wide throughout, but it looked like it was pretty smooth sailing for Danny. There is a big weight-for-age allowance for the 3-year-olds, so I didn't know if that would tell in the last half-a-furlong, up the hill,” said O’Meara.
“She (Estrange) is a wonderful filly. She was maybe caught a little bit wide throughout.” David O’Meara
“We'd love to go for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and she has that entry. It was important that she got the Group 1 win under her belt and she did so in good style today. We'll enjoy this and figure out where we go next.”
Pedigree: Estrange's unraced dam Alienate (Oasis Dream), who is a half-sister to Frankel's St Leger hero Logician, is also responsible for that supersire's Park Hill Stakes third Lmay and the Listed-placed Basalt (Pinatubo). Alienate is also kin to four other stakes performers including the triple Graded stakes scorer and EP Taylor Stakes runner-up Suffused (Champs Elysees) who is the dam of the Prix de Royaumont and Prix Allez France winner Sunly by Estrange's sire Night Of Thunder.
