We told you this was the weekend to have a bet on. Six million in prize money, champions clashing on two continents, and a card stacked from the Twin Spires to the Curragh. The pools were huge. The racing was better. And when the dust settled, three of the biggest races on the planet went exactly the way we called them.
Here’s how the headline winners came home.
Magnitude Wires the $2 Million Stephen Foster
We took Magnitude at 7/2 over the 6/5 favourite Sovereignty, and we did not have a nervous moment.
The Dubai World Cup winner popped the gate early, got circled back for a reload, and then ran like a horse with a point to prove. Jose Ortiz sent him to the lead and never looked back. Magnitude led at every call, kicked clear off the turn, and held off the late surge of Baeza by a length and a quarter. Sovereignty could only manage third. White Abarrio was fourth. A field that read like a Hall of Fame ballot, and the one we singled out put them all to the sword.
He stopped the clock in 1:48.03 on a wet, sticky surface and paid $7.16 to win. Four straight victories now for Steve Asmussen’s colt, and a free pass into the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Class, proven on the surface, at a price next to the chalk. That is the bet every single time.
Lagynos Makes It Five Straight in the Wise Dan
The Stephen Foster grabbed the headlines, but Asmussen and Ortiz were not done.
Lagynos went off the 6/5 favourite in the Grade 2 Wise Dan and justified every penny. He tracked the pace in the two path, tipped out turning for home, collared the leader Silent Heart and kicked away in the final furlong to score by three quarters of a length from Mercante. Five consecutive stakes wins for the son of Kantharos, and a tenth career victory from 28 starts.
We called him the standout on paper, prolific and consistent, and that is exactly what he delivered. Next stop looks like the Fourstardave at Saratoga in August. Keep him onside.
Benvenuto Cellini Turns the Tables in the Irish Derby
The race of the weekend. The race of the summer. And our pick landed it.
Benvenuto Cellini was the one horse who carried unfinished business into the Curragh after the Epsom stalls fiasco, and on a sounder surface he showed exactly what he is. Ryan Moore settled him in rear, switched him to the outer, made smooth headway into midfield, then angled him left and swept to the front two furlongs out. He hung right under pressure but had far too much for Christmas Day, going clear by a length and three quarters. Pierre Bonnard ran on for a close third.
That is an 18th Irish Derby for Aidan O’Brien and a defining ride from Moore. The Frankel colt needed fast ground and a fair start, got both, and reversed Epsom form in the most emphatic way. We said the Epsom drama said more about the ground than his ability. The Curragh proved the point.
Winning time 2m 28.33s on good ground, with Benvenuto Cellini sent off the 7/4 favourite.
The Weekend Scorecard
Three of the biggest races on the calendar. Three winners.
| Race | Track | Our Pick | SP | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) | Churchill Downs | Magnitude | 7/2 | WON |
| Wise Dan Stakes (G2) | Churchill Downs | Lagynos | 6/5 | WON |
| Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) | The Curragh | Benvenuto Cellini | 7/4 | WON |
Two continents, two days, three results. When the biggest names in the sport line up, you want every angle covered and you want a price worth taking. That is the job.
Bet On the Next One at MyWinners
The summer is only getting started. Saratoga and Del Mar are around the corner, the Irish Oaks is next month at the Curragh, and the road to the Breeders’ Cup is wide open with Magnitude already booked in.
MyWinners gives you every race that matters, one account, full pools. Win and place, exactas, trifectas, superfectas, the multi race options, and the full world pool on the international Group 1s. Bigger pools mean bigger paydays, and the next big weekend is never far away.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app for iOS or Android, or find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
Image © Florian Christoph, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
