Magnitude passes Chunk of Gold late to win Clark Stakes
Louisville, Ky.
Go figure Magnitude.
He was such a bright light last winter coming out of the dark images of Fair Grounds, where he won by 9 3/4 lengths as a 43-1 long shot in the Risen Star (G2).
An ankle injury derailed his Kentucky Derby hopes, and even though he ran away to victory at 3-5 this summer in the Iowa Derby, he looked overmatched in the Travers (G1) before coming back to close a respectable second in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1).
Click here for Churchill Downs entries and results.
Coming off a two-month break, Magnitude looked like the best of his old self again in the frigid, 35-degree air of Friday evening at Churchill Downs. Stalking the pace in his first test against older horses, the 3-year-old Not This Time colt powered to the lead in the second turn and raced to a half-length win in the Grade 2, $595,000 Clark Stakes.
“I’m very proud of him today,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, who watched Magnitude become racing’s newest millionaire. “I think that the horse came back from the injury in the Risen Star and has run some solid races. I think he’s got five runs now since. His best was today.”
If that feeling checks out in the speed ratings, that would be rare air. In the Risen Star on Feb. 15, Magnitude earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form. Among 3-year-olds in 2025, only champion-in-waiting Sovereignty did better.
Asmussen said Friday was especially impressive, because the 1 1/8-mile Clark was won on a track that did not necessarily work in Magnitude’s favor. It was quite different nine months ago in that gate-to-wire Risen Star victory covering the same distance.
“He won that day with a bias. He ran good horses off their feet,” Asmussen said. “I think that today he beat a talented group of horses on the square … (with) a new level of confidence that he can handle it. Very professional.”
Starting as the 2-1 favorite from the widest post in the field of eight, Magnitude stayed two lengths behind early pacesetter Chunk of Gold (13-1) through early splits of 23.21 and 47.07 seconds.
With Júnior Alvarado riding, Chunk of Gold conceded the lead to Magnitude in the second turn just after going three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.79. The two of them dueled down the homestretch through a mile in 1:35.55.
José Ortiz brushed Magnitude past Chunk of Gold for good at the sixteenth pole. Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Hit Show (5-1), who carried seven more pounds than Magnitude, charged from mid-pack with a late run past Chunk of Gold only to come up a half-length short at the finish.
“Hit Show ran well. He ran out of real estate,” said trainer Brad Cox, who said a repeat bid in Dubai would be a 2026 goal. “I thought he was coming at the end. He’s obviously a true mile-and-a-quarter horse, and he needed another eighth of a mile today.”
For Magnitude, Ortiz said the Clark went according to plan.
“It was a great trip today,” he said. “We planned to sit about second or third if we couldn’t get the lead. The entire race he was traveling great. He had to dig in late to get by, but he was very game. He has a ton of talent, and I think will get better into next year.”
Magnitude finished with a time of 1:48.69 on the fast main track and paid $6.36, $3.74 and $3.20. Hit Show returned $5.10 and $4.10. Chunk of Gold held on for third to pay $6.06.
Who Dey (50-1), 2024 Clark winner Rattle N Roll (7-1), Gosger (3-1), now-retired First Mission (5-2) and Cooke Creek (68-1) finished fourth through eighth in that order. Willy D’s was scratched.
Asmussen was asked about sending Magnitude to the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in January at Gulfstream Park and the New Orleans Classic (G2) in March at Fair Grounds. He did not commit to anything other than taking Ron Winchell’s homebred colt to Louisiana for the winter.
“He’s going to go to the Fair Grounds and train,” Asmussen said. “I feel very comfortable taking him back there where he spent all last winter.”
Adding the $360,700 he earned Friday, Magnitude has bankrolled $1,291,865 from a record of 11: 5-2-1.