Knight Jose Ortiz: Dubai gave me my life’s dream

The knight, Jose Ortiz, confirmed that the victory he achieved, the day before yesterday, with the American horse “Magnitude”, in the ninth round (B), of the 30th edition of the “Dubai World Cup”, with prizes amounting to 12 million dollars, came with a “taste of gold” and a long-awaited dream.

Jose pointed out that the final stages of the race, and the abilities demonstrated by the horse “Magnitude” in confronting the attacks of the most prominent Japanese candidate, “Forever Young,” confirmed that he is capable of giving more and turning the dream into reality.

Jose told Emirates Today: “Since the beginning of my professional career 14 years ago, I have set my sights on the goal of joining the golden list of Dubai World Cup records, which the best horsemen on the international scene aspire to achieve, and I am happy that I was able, in my third participation with the horse Magnitude, to achieve victory, and I thank wonderful Dubai, which fulfilled my life’s dream.”

He explained: “The plan went as desired, and after the start and early lead, Magnitude gave me more confidence that we are capable of achieving this dream, and positive feelings rose as we approached the finish line, especially after Magnitude responded to my request for him to rush again in the last 100 meters, and confront the strongly charging horse Forever Young.”

He added: “Going to the front in the early stages was not always part of the plan, and we talked about that before the race, and we left all possibilities open, but the start was excellent, and I was happy to be in the front.”

He continued: “I did not feel threatened in the first stage, but before 600 metres, I prepared myself to ask the horse with a final dash, after I felt that Forever Young was coming strong, and Magnitude’s response gave me a feeling that he was continuing to advance, and that he was the best horse in the world.”

Regarding the feelings of joy that he felt when crossing the finish line, Jose said: “I work hard every day for such a moment. It does not only concern me, but also the entire team, whether here in Dubai, or those who followed us on television in the United States of America, or my family, which is the main reason for who I am today, and this victory is not mine alone.”