The Student Vs. The Master: Yahagi's Protege Returns To Challenge Forever Young

From Apprentice To Accomplished Trainer In The Arabian Sands

Less than a year into her training career, Kyoko Maekawa faces the ultimate test of apprenticeship. Awaiting her in the Saudi Cup in mid-February sits Forever Young, the defending champion trained by Yoshito Yahagi, the very mentor under whose tutelage she honed her craft before launching her own operation. The protege returns to compete alongside the master's champion on the grandest stage, applying lessons gleaned from travelling alongside him through these same Middle East circuits, with Sunrise Zipangu as her talented representative in a moment laden with profound personal significance.

The Saudi Arabia target emerged from careful analysis rather than opportunistic ambition. "Horses with a proven track record on turf tend to perform well on the dirt tracks in Saudi Arabia," Maekawa explains. "That's why I felt it would be a good course for Sunrise Zipangu."

This strategic clarity has informed her entire preparation protocol. Rather than dispatching the horse to pasture following his remarkable fifth-place finish in the Arima Kinen in December, Maekawa maintained him at the training centre. "I kept him in the stable after his last race. He ran in two Group One races in December, so I gave him plenty of rest after the Arima Kinen. We didn't resume proper training until mid-January."

The conditioning programme follows a meticulous design. "We're planning to do two more fast workouts in Japan before leaving for Saudi Arabia in early February," she outlined. "We'll do just one more gallop after we arrive." Beyond tactical considerations, the Saudi expedition carries profound emotional weight. "I never dreamed I'd be able to go back so soon," Maekawa confesses. "I'm honoured to have been chosen, and I'm very grateful to the owner."

Historic Firsts And Mentorship

Maekawa's presence in Saudi Arabia represents merely the latest chapter in a year of historic achievement. The first woman to be licensed to train racehorses in the Japan Racing Association's 71-year history, she passed her trainer's examination on her fifth attempt in December 2023. Nine months after her stable's inaugural runner, Sunrise Zipangu contested the Arima Kinen in December 2025, rendering Maekawa the first female trainer to saddle a starter in that venerable Group One prize.

The journey to this moment commenced in Tomisato, Chiba Prefecture, where she was born on April 1977. Her initial encounter with horses materialised through her mother's colleague at the municipal offices, who maintained equestrian stock. "There were many farms near the house where I was born," she recalls. "My first contact with horses was when I got to ride one of theirs."

Yet this introduction at age 11 failed to ignite immediate passion. "Horses were big and intimidating to me as a child," she acknowledges. "But as I continued to ride, I gradually got better at controlling them." The transformation emerged incrementally. "After that, the more I rode, the more enjoyable it became."

Her equestrian education advanced through Tsukuba University's riding club whilst working part-time at Miho Training Centre. "After that, I took the entrance exam to become a JRA employee, but I failed." The rejection necessitated alternative pathways. She accumulated experience at a ranch before enrolling in JRA Racing School, eventually spending 21 years at Ritto Training Centre.

Throughout this apprenticeship, her conviction crystallised. "I thought that if I could notice small changes in a horse's physical and mental health and provide appropriate care, injuries would decrease and performance would improve," she explains.

The only avenue to pursue such philosophy with complete autonomy existed through elevation to head trainer. After successfully navigating the examination in late 2023, Maekawa deployed the months before her March 2025 stable launch, embedding herself within Yahagi Stables.

Learning From The Master

"Trainer Yahagi's consideration was truly instructive," she reflects. Accompanying Yahagi across continents from the Middle East through the United States to Ireland, Maekawa absorbed lessons transcending conventional training wisdom. "The staff at Yahagi Stables are experienced and have the know-how, so no matter which country we went to, they worked calmly and with a cool head, just like they did in Japan," she observed. "I thought I should follow their example when my own stable started going overseas."

This apprenticeship proved particularly valuable given Yahagi's extraordinary success in the Middle East. Forever Young claimed the Saudi Cup in 2024; and Maekawa absorbed the operational minutiae, the logistical choreography, the psychological preparation required for elite international competition. She now has the opportunity to apply this accumulated knowledge in her own international campaign.

Her previous experience in the region alongside Yahagi left indelible impressions extending beyond professional insights. "This applies not only to Saudi Arabia but also to Dubai. Both countries were very welcoming, and the support was excellent, so I didn't feel inconvenienced at all. Personally, I love Arabic cuisine, so I'd definitely like to come back."

Now returning under vastly different circumstances, Maekawa possesses intimate familiarity with challenges awaiting her. "I understand the differences from Japan in terms of facilities, and I'm also aware of the differences in the process leading up to the race on race day," she notes. "For example, the time and procedure to get to the waiting stables, and the interval between races. I also keep in mind that accidents that would be unthinkable in Japan can occur. I think the fact that this is not my first time will be an advantage."

The Versatile Horse

Sunrise Zipangu's arrival at Maekawa Stables emerged through fortuitous circumstances. The 4YO colt, foaled March 2021, by Kizuna from the Zoffany mare Saimaa, had established impressive credentials under Hidetaka Otonashi, conditioner of Delmasotogake, victor of the 2023 UAE Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up.

Following Otonashi's retirement in March 2025, Sunrise Zipangu transferred to Koichi Shintani before landing in Maekawa's care that November, accompanied crucially by rider Yusuke Hirai, who had managed the horse at Otonashi's operation.

"My first impression was that he was a tall, long-legged horse," Maekawa remembers. The horse possessed formidable credentials, having captured three graded dirt prizes, including the Gr.2 Nagoya Grand Prix in May 2025, whilst finishing runner-up in the Gr.1 February Stakes, Japan's premier dirt championship.

His debut under Maekawa's stewardship arrived in the Gr.1 Champions Cup at Chukyo in December, where eighth place suggested her acclimatisation remained incomplete. The subsequent Arima Kinen at Nakayama proved considerably more revelatory. After returning to turf, Sunrise Zipangu defied his 13th-favourite status amongst 16 starters to finish fifth, separated from Museum Mile's triumph by merely three-tenths of a second.

"I didn't think it was surprising that he ran that well," she states. "Sunrise Zipangu's stable hand was the same one who was in charge of him when he was at Otonashi Stables. He was confident that the current condition of the turf at Nakayama Racecourse was suitable for Zipangu. He has won on turf before and is a horse that was good enough to run in the Gr.1 Japan Derby. So, I thought it was fine that he could run that well. So I felt more of a sense of relief."

This Arima Kinen performance confirmed Maekawa's conviction regarding the horse's versatility and quality, attributes she believes make him uniquely suited to conditions in Saudi Arabia.

Reuniting With The Gentleman

Perhaps most significantly, Maekawa will reunite with Yahagi himself in Saudi Arabia, though their relationship assumes dramatically altered dimensions. "I'm also relieved to be working with Trainer Yahagi again," she acknowledges. "My position is different from last year when I trained here, but Mr. Yahagi is a gentleman, so I'm sure he'll help me out if I'm in trouble this time as well."

This confidence in her mentor's continued support, even amidst direct competition, speaks volumes regarding Yahagi's character and the profound respect underpinning their relationship. Yet Maekawa harbours no illusions regarding the magnitude of her task. "I'm well aware that Forever Young is truly strong," she states plainly. "Winning won't be easy, but I'll do my best, learning from Trainer Yahagi's methods and learning from him!"

The philosophical framework she articulated upon establishing her stable, pledging to "create a happy and fresh stable for both people and horses," now faces its most exacting test. Beating her master's horse would be the greatest way to repay him, the ultimate demonstration that his instruction bore fruit of the highest calibre.

The defending champion represents formidable opposition, credentials burnished through international conquest. Yet Maekawa approaches with advantages extending beyond conventional preparation. She comprehends the venue intimately, having studied its peculiarities alongside Yahagi himself. She commands a versatile, proven performer whose turf credentials may translate advantageously to Saudi dirt. Most crucially, she carries within her the accumulated wisdom of Japanese racing's most successful international operator, knowledge now applied in pursuit of her own ambitions.

The Saudi Cup will determine whether the student has indeed matched the master, or whether Yahagi's supremacy endures. Either outcome enriches the narrative.

Should Sunrise Zipangu prevail, it would validate Maekawa's meteoric ascent and confirm her status amongst the elite international conditioners. However, should Forever Young triumph, it demonstrates the continued excellence of Yahagi's programme, whilst Maekawa's trajectory suggests this represents merely the beginning of what promises to become a compelling story between mentor and protege across the world's grandest stages.