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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Magnitude beat race favorite Forever Young to win the 30th Dubai Gold Cup on Saturday in the first major outdoors sporting event in the United Arab Emirates since the outbreak of the Iran War.
The 4-year-old American horse, ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Steve Asmussen, successfully resisted a determined effort from Japan’s Forever Young with Ryusei Sakai on board, to win the almost $7 million first prize.
“When I looked to my side passing the 600 meters I saw Forever Young and I knew it was time to go,” Ortiz said “I knew Forever Young was going to be the horse to beat so I asked (Magnitude) to run and he was there for me.
“We knew we had a very good horse but obviously Forever Young was the best horse in the world and we had to respect that. But we knew we had a good enough horse to win the race and he showed up today.”
Meydaan was third, followed by Imperial Emperor, both Irish horses.
There was a total of €12 million in prize money for the 9-horse race.
It was Asmussen’s second win in the race after Curlin’s success in 2008. He has also won the Preakness twice and the Belmont once.
Magnitude jumped fast and went straight to the lead, hugging the rail. The Not This time four-year-old led by about a length from Forever Young until the field turned for home when it opened a wider margin.
Forever Young which was Japan Horse of the Year l...
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