Forever Young makes history with Japan’s first Breeders’ Cup Classic win

Japan struck gold in the US$7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar with their star performer Forever Young making history as the first horse from that country to win North America’s richest race.

Forever Young set the record straight after finishing third in the Cup Classic last year … he also finished third in last year’s Kentucky Derby and in the Dubai World Cup … and if you wanted any more of a recommendation, Forever Young was the horse that ran down Romantic Warrior, the Hong Kong champion ridden by James McDonald, in the US $20 million Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race, in February.

Forever Young is trained by Yoshito Yahagi and was ridden to the victory by Ryusei Sakai with the jockey intelligently sending Forever Young into the lead rounding the home turn, on an on-pace biased track, before charging home to keep Sierra Leone and Fierceness, the two horses who had beaten him home in the last year, back in second and third place respectively.

Forever Young thus thwarted Sierra Leon’s attempt to make it back-to-back wins in the race … and also gained an added measure of revenge after the two runners had bumped repeated in the home straight in Forever Young’s third place finish in the Kentucky Derby which became a point of controversy.

“It’s like a Japanese team won the World Cup,” Yoshito Yahagi said post-race, via a translator. “Horse racing industry – people never expect (us) to win the Breeders’ Cup. Each time we give 100 percent ”

“He’s an amazing horse. It’s a dream,” said Ryusei Sakai.

For his part, Susumu Fujita, Forever Young’s owner, also speaking through a translator post-race, said, “I feel like I create a new page for Japanese horse racing industry at the moment.

“Many Japanese horses have tried the challenge to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic. This means a lot to create a build-up for winning in the future. I’d like to say thanks for all of Japanese horse racing industry people.”

The pre-race Breeder’s Cup Classic favourite Sovereignty was scratched four days before the race after developing a mild fever.

With the scratching of Sovereignty, Fierceness started favourite at 11-4, Sierra Leon started at 3-1 and Forever Young was a 7-2 chance.