After a long break, he returned in November to win the Breeders' Cup Turf and a month later was voted Cartier Champion Three-year-old Colt.

[5] Nineteen days later he ran in a similar event at Dundalk and was ridden by his trainer's son Joseph O'Brien to finish second, half a length behind the Dermot Weld-trained favourite Mouteab.

Seamie Heffernan sent the colt into an early lead, but after being overtaken, and then badly hampered in the straight, Magician was eased down to finish last of the seven runners behind Big Break.

Magician tracked the leader Gabrial's Kaka before moving to the outside in the straight, taking the lead, and pulling clear to win by four lengths from Contributor.

"[12] Magician did not contest the Derby (won by his stable companion Ruler of the World), but was instead aimed at the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He started the 5/2 second favourite behind the 2000 Guineas winner Dawn Approach but was badly hampered early in the straight and finished last of the nine runners after being eased down in the closing stages.

Ridden by Joseph O'Brien, he never looked likely to win but stayed on in the closing stages to finish sixth of the fifteen runner behind the Japanese mare Gentildonna.

At Royal Ascot in June Magician started at odds of 6/1 for the Prince of Wales's Stakes, a race which attracted a very strong field including Treve, The Fugue, Mukhadram and Dank.

Magician started at odds of 9/2 for Britain's most prestigious weight-for-age race the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on 26 July but ran poorly and finished sixth of the eight runners, beaten fourteen lengths by the winner Taghrooda.