Forever Young Pointing To 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic
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Japanese-based Forever Young is widely recognized as one of the top horses in the world. The 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic provides an opportunity to become world champion.
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July 6, 2025
10:12 AM
Forbes
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SportsMoneyForever Young Pointing To 2025 Breeders’ Cup ClassicByDanny Brewer, Contributor
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights
Danny Brewer has been covering Thoroughbred racing since 2006
AuthorJul 06, 2025, 10:12am EDTForever Young was dynamic in defeat in Kentucky Derby 150Danny Brewer Oh to be Forever Young, that’s a common goal for many
For one ultra-talented Thoroughbred, that’s absolutely the goal when it comes to the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic
Forever Young is a globe-trotting race horse that has displayed immense potential during his three years of competition
Running at eight different tracks on three separate continents, this Japanese-bred son of Real Steel has earned over $15. 4 million whilst winning eight races and finishing third three times in eleven starts
The earnings and the record speak volumes the quality of this grandson of Congrats
The ability to ship and win races makes for a special race horse and boasting those type numbers makes Forever Young world renowned
But, the spirit of competitive excellence from his team has fueled an unquenchable thirst. “I have great respect for his record”, says trainer Yoshito Yahagi. “At the same time, the fact he was defeated three times is quite frustrating and makes me reflect on whether there was something more I could have done. ” After going three for three as a two-year-old in his native Japan, Forever Young journeyed to the Middle East and began his three-year old campaign with a determined effort in winning the Saudi Derby
After an impressive score in the UAE Derby in Dubai, Yahagi took his talent to Louisville and the Kentucky Derby
With his huge late kick on display, Forever Young came up a nose and a whisker short of winning the world’s most famous race
Despite finishing third and tasting defeat for the first time, Japan’s jewel ved he was a real player and very capable against the best the world has to offer
Full of confidence and eager to ve the worth of his colt, the veteran conditioner brilliantly prepared Forever Young for another run on American soil in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic
Coming to Del Mar off a waltzing win in the Japan Dirt Classic, Forever Young was again a little late getting in the race and a closing third just 2 ¾ lengths behind Sierra Leone
MORE FOR YOU As is the case with any athlete, the transition from one season to the next does not always duce the same results
Eager to continue cultivating his talent, Yahagi entered Forever Young in the Saudi Cup for his four-year-old debut race
Would Forever Young be the Forever Young people had become accustomed to
Facing a field that perhaps the world’s most successful active runner in Romantic Warrior on February 22, the answer was vided
As the fourteen runners broke, there was Forever Young right at the front
Moving with ease down the backstretch, Japan’s darling maintained his position
On the turn for, Romantic Warrior, the winner of eight consecutive races, bolted past the frontrunners and seemed to assume command
Staring at a two-length deficit, it was now showtime for Forever Young With the finish line drawing ever closer, jockey Rysei Sakai guided his mount off the rail and urged him forward
Displaying a dynamic determination that legends are made from and with immeasurable horse power pulsing through his veins, Forever Young closed the gap with ground-gobbling strides
Refusing to accept defeat, Forever Young got up at the wire by a neck and netted his conditioner even more international glory. “The Saudi Cup was an incredible performance that really showed his determination”, says Yahagi. “It gave the world an opportunity to see his power, talent, and potential
While my stable has had success overseas before, Forever Young’s victory in Saudi Arabia was an astounding achievement for us”
Having ven that the four-year-old Forever Young is perhaps a better Forever Young, the focus turns to a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup
Contested again at Del Mar in 2025, the Cup truly offers a chance to be the “World Champion”
Qualifying races for the event are run throughout the year in fifteen different countries with eyes on bringing the best of the best in every division together
As a trainer with a very worldly resume, Yahagi has played a major role in elevating the Japanese racing brand around the globe
As the conditioner that brought his land their first two Breeders’ Cup championships (2021 Filly and Mare Turf, Loves Only You 2021 Distaff Marche Lorraine), the Tokyo native will concentrate on bringing the best Forever Young to Del Mar on November 1. “The Breeders’ Cup is now our main target”, says Yahagi. “We had hoped to prep in a race in the United States, but due to strict quarantine rules we will focus on Japanese preps instead
The Breeders’ Cup Classic vides an opportunity to be recognized as a world champion
I am fully committed to doing everything I can to help him become the first Japanese horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. ” The Breeders’ Cup will be contested in Del Mar, California on October 31 and November 1
The $7 million Classic will be run on November 1, and if Yahagi has his way, the runner in the winner’s circle will be what we all want to be…Forever Young
Forever Young hopes to become the first Japanese based winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del
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