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Forever Young, the undefeated Gr.2 UAE Derby winner completed his final Kentucky Derby preparation along with another Japanese contender T O Password.
Equipped with blinkers, the son of Copano Rickey, the Japanese Road to the Derby winner, and undefeated in two career races, worked with Gr.2 Alysheba Stakes contender, T O Saint Denis. The former was credited with a sharp half-mile in a bullet time of 00:46.80 over a "good" track after overnight rain.
Meanwhile,Forever Young worked alone and was credited with a more relaxed five furlongs in 1:03. Both drills went as planned. They reflected what their trainers believed their horses needed four days out from attempting to become the first Japanese winner of the American classic.
Meanwhile, Forever Young, trained by Yoshito Yahagi for owner Susumu Fujita, has a more composed personality compared to T O Password. During his final Derby work, the main focus was on evaluating Forever Young's growth and movement.
Despite passing by a group of excited children, the horse calmly walked the outside rail to the front. For his solo drill, Forever Young skipped wearing his usual headgear, but he will have it on for his race on Saturday under the guidance of Japanese jockey Ryusei Sakai. The headgear is not blinkers but rather helps him manage the kickback.
According to Oka, Forever Young seems to have adjusted well to Kentucky despite his campaign, which included wins in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Although initially, the undefeated colt of Real Steel seemed affected by the journey when he arrived in Louisville.
"We had many travels since February, so when he reached Kentucky, we felt he got a little bit tired on (the) condition side. So we had to adjust to recovery and push the training too. I think we did the right things," Oka said.
"We had a good breeze today, so for me, it is a relief to be prepared for racing. ... Of course, I have confidence because Forever Young has never lost. But Japanese horse has never won the Kentucky Derby, so (the) confidence side is hard to judge."
Kimura, who rode Mandarin Hero to finish 12th in last year's Kentucky Derby, thinks he has a better chance this year. "I'm trying to shock the world. Today (T O Password) finished up strong, and even after the wire, he still kept going well. I am feeling no problem with the distance. He might be green, but he has potential."