Finding a colt who can emulate the heroics of a champion such as Gun Runner can be more difficult than finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Having horses such as him who earn more than $15.9 million and Horse of the Year honors while winning illustrious races including the Whitney Stakes (G1), Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) is usually a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
But for the connections of Gun Runner, specifically his co-owner Winchell Racing and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, there's a 4-year-old in their barn who is definitely giving off Gun Runner vibes.
Much like the way Gun Runner finished second in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at 3 and then skyrocketed to fame at 4, Magnitude has also risen to amazing heights after a runner-up finish at 3 in last year's Pennsylvania Derby for Winchell and Asmussen.
Like Gun Runner, Magnitude won the Clark Stakes (G2) after his strong showing at Parx Racing. The following year, while Gun Runner was second to Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup (G1), the son of Not This Time defeated BC Classic winner Forever Young in that event this year.
Back in the United States, Magnitude, mirroring Gun Runner, did not slow down.
He is coming off an impressive, front-running 1 1/4-length victory over a stellar field in the June 27 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs—yes, Gun Runner won the Foster, too—and now heads into another spectacular showdown Aug. 8 in the $1 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series "Win and You're In" stakes for the Breeders' Cup Classic.
"The parallels with Gun Runner are pretty striking," Asmussen said about the $450,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale buy who has earned more than $9.6 million. "Ever since Gun Runner, we've been trying to come up with another one and it certainly looks like he's done a pretty good job of doing that up to this point."
In the 1 1/8-mile Whitney, the field of eight includes seven millionaires and six grade 1 winners, including dual classic winner and Horse of the Year Sovereignty, Breeders' Cup Classic and Whitney winner White Abarrio, Baeza, who beat Magnitude in the Pennsylvania Derby, Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Antiquarian, and the superlative filly Nitrogen.
"This is such an outstanding field, the winner will have to run their A-game," said Jonathan Green, racing manager for his family's D. J. Stable, which owns Nitrogen. "A so-so effort will not get it done in this field."
A year ago, Magnitude finished 20 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Sovereignty in the Travers Stakes (G1) at the Spa. But much has changed since then as reflected in Magnitude's victory in the Foster over a field that included Baeza (who was second), Sovereignty (third by 5 1/4 lengths), and White Abarrio (fourth by 9 3/4 lengths) on a sloppy, sealed track at Churchill Downs.
It was his fourth straight win since the Pennsylvania Derby.
"Obviously we are very excited about him and the year he is having and how he is training going into the Whitney. We realize what a quality race the Whitney is again this year and we expect him to be at his best," Asmussen said about the 4-year-old bred by Ron Stolich out of the Bernardini mare Rockadelic. "His confidence is right up there with his ability right now."
C R K Stable and breeder Grandview Equine's Baeza is the last horse to finish in front of Magnitude and he is typically the last one to leave the starting gate. That happened in the Foster, where he spotted the field a few lengths at the break and then close to within 1 1/4 lengths of Magnitude at the wire.
"The gate is always a problem with him," said Bill Mott, who took over as Baeza's trainer after the death of John Shirreffs in February. "It's always an issue, always a concern. He doesn't break from the gate the way you would want him to. He behaved well in the gate last time, but didn't leave there well."
Mott said he has been pleased with the way the son of McKinzie has trained up to Saturday's race.
"Baeza ran a super race last time and I am happy enough with him," he said about the consistent 4-year-old, who has placed in five grade 1 stakes.
The trajectory for Godolphin's Sovereignty since the Travers has been 180 degrees different than Magnitude's. The homebred son of Into Mischief missed the Breeders' Cup Classic because of an illness but was still named Horse of the Year. He missed the rich Middle East stakes and debuted at 4 in the April 18 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) where he flashed unusual early speed and wound up second to White Abarrio in his first start in eight months.
But in the Foster, where he was the 4-5 favorite, he never posed a serious threat in finishing a disappointing third in the field of five.
"We were on a sealed, muddy track. That's the only thing I can think of. I have no other excuses. I thought he went into the race fine,"
Mott said about Sovereignty, who won the Kentucky Derby on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs, "He seems to be training forwardly. I have no reservations about the way he's training."
Nitrogen adds even more intrigue to the field.
The top older filly or mare off a dazzling 12 3/4-length romp in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, she is a perfect 3-for-3 at the Spa and has the kind of speed, staying power, and physique to challenge the guys.
"She's doing tremendous. She had a great work (July 31) and looked great afterward. She's gotten bigger and stronger and she's ready. She likes this track and when you put her up against those colts, she's not going to look like a filly. She's big and strong," trainer Mark Casse said. "If we were going to try colts, this is the place. She loves it here. But it will not be easy. To say this is not an easy spot is a big understatement. This is as good of a Whitney as you'll ever see."
In 16 career starts, the homebred Medaglia d'Oro filly has eight wins and has never finished worse than third.
C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio will be hoping for a dry track after fading to fourth in the Foster in his follow-up start to the Oaklawn Handicap for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
The 7-year-old son of Race Day has earned more than $8.5 million in 27 starts, but has just one win with no seconds or thirds in five starts at Saratoga. Ironically enough, that win came in the 2023 Whitney. He was fourth in last year's edition.
Centennial Farms' Antiquarian (Preservationist) was fourth last time out in the Suburban Stakes (G2) at the Spa, but won last year's Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga
The field also includes Forged Steel (Vekoma ), who was fifth in the Suburban, and Tiztastic (Tiz the Law ), who was third in that 1 1/4-mile stakes.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 8, 2026, Race 12Entries: Whitney S. (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Magnitude (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 126 Steven M. Asmussen 9/5 2 2Nitrogen (KY) John R. Velazquez 121 Mark E. Casse 4/1 3 3Antiquarian (KY) Manuel Franco 126 Todd A. Pletcher 10/1 4 4Forged Steel (KY) Micah J. Husbands 124 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 20/1 5 5White Abarrio (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 126 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 8/1 6 6Sovereignty (KY) Junior Alvarado 126 William I. Mott 3/1 7 7Tiztastic (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 124 Steven M. Asmussen 30/1 8 8Baeza (KY) Flavien Prat 126 William I. Mott 7/2
