Just in case he wasn't already front-of-mind with racing fans throughout the world, Japan's Forever Young stirred more souls by prevailing over Romantic Warrior in one of the greatest stretch duels in the history of international dirt racing in this year's Saudi Cup (G1).
Now with his connections plotting a path that will include international stops April 5 at Meydan for the Dubai World Cup (G1) and later this fall in Southern California for another try at the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar, his trainer believes Forever Young not only has a chance to reach the sport's heights but could lift the stature of dirt racing in his native country.
Through an interpreter, trainer Yoshito Yahagi said the success of horses such as Forever Young should continue to drive Japan's newfound emphasis on dirt racing, which historically has taken a back seat to turf competition with local fans. Could Japan ride that momentum to build a dirt race, perhaps the Champions Cup (G1), to the stature of the Breeders' Cup Classic, Dubai World Cup, or Saudi Cup?
"Yes," Yahagi said. "I believe we can do that, and we have to create that."
And should that follow, it would seem that tying such top dirt races in a series similar to the former Global Sprint Challenge could become an option. Yahagi jumped enthusiastically at the suggestion of more formal linking of international races that offer cash bonuses to owners and trainers for winning a series of races around the world.
"Yes. That is a great thing," he said. "If bonuses get increased, then we will be more motivated."
For now, Yahagi welcomes Breeders' Cup for the first time, tying its Classic to the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup as races in the international Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series. And, like many fans throughout the world, Yahagi has seen enough from Forever Young to believe he's a horse that can reach the sport's heights.
His victory in this year's $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 22 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, prevailing by a neck after battling through the stretch with nine-time group 1/grade 1 winner Romantic Warrior in the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8-mile) race contested at one turn, already is considered one of the greatest dirt races ever contested. The victory has sent racing hearts soaring, ready to see more, while Forever Young has ascended to the top of the Longines World's Best Racehorse rankings for the first three months of the year.
He's preparing for a start Saturday (about 1:30 p.m. ET) in the $12 million Dubai World Cup at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles).
Campaigned by Susumu Fujita, Forever Young last year showed he could handle world travel and deliver top efforts on the track, repeatedly displaying determination in stretch battles in some of the world's top dirt races. The son of Real Steel prevailed by a head over Book'em Danno in the Saudi Derby (G3) and then punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby (G1) with a two-length score in the U.A.E. Derby (G2) at Meydan.
In the Kentucky Derby, he would be part of a three-way battle through the stretch, settling for third, but just a head behind winner Mystik Dan and a nose behind runner-up Sierra Leone.
Returned to Japan, Forever Young would not race again until taking the Japan Dirt Cup Classic Oct. 2 at Oi. Off that single start, he would return to the United States for a try against older horses in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Bred in Japan by Northern Racing, Forever Young would again earn a placing, finishing third behind a pair of Eclipse Award winners in Sierra Leone, who would be named champion 3-year-old male; and Fierceness, champion 2-year-old male of 2023.
Forever Young would close out the year with a grade 1 win for the home crowd, posting a clear victory over older rivals in the Tokyo Daishoten (G1) at Oi. That late December victory set him up well for his successful trip to Saudi Arabia.
Fans and connections are dreaming big as Forever Young prepares for a start in the Dubai World Cup.
Yahagi, who became the first Japanese trainer to win a Breeders' Cup race when he saddled Marche Lorraine and Loves Only You to victories in the 2021 Distaff (G1) and the Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar, thinks his 2025 standout could bring even more interest to Japanese racing.
The personable Yahagi, known around the racing world as "the man in the hat" for his colorful race-day headgear (usually purple when at Breeders' Cup), knows the value of international competition and values the impact on racing, breeding, and sales back home in Japan.
"Forever Young is getting more popular after he won the Saudi Cup," Yahagi said. "There are not enough overseas buyers coming to Japan to buy Japanese horses. I keep showing to international owners how good Japanese horses are."
The trainer has enjoyed the amazing places his horses have taken him.
"I'm enjoying meeting new people from (foreign) countries and feeling the culture of those countries," Yahagi said, as the days grew closer to another race offering an eight-figure purse.
