Unfinished Business: Forever Young's Road To The Double

A Champion Returns With Scores To Settle

There is a stillness about Yoshito Yahagi in the hours before a big race that belies the restless ambition burning underneath. The 64-year-old trainer, recognisable the world over for his broad-brimmed hats and red-and-white stable colours, does not deal in half measures. When Forever Young crossed the line at Meydan twelve months ago in a galling third, the silence from the Yahagi camp was brief.

Then came the eruption. "Honestly, I wish that hadn't happened," he said of the pre-race testing procedure that confined his champion to a dark room, leaving both horse and groom unsettled before the biggest race of their lives. That determination has not faded. It has merely been channelled.

Now, as the 5YO son of Real Steel settles into his Meydan quarters ahead of the US$12 million (AED44 million) Gr.1 Dubai World Cup on March 28, 2026, the mission driving this campaign is unambiguous.

Yahagi wants to make Forever Young the first horse in history to win both the Gr.1 Saudi Cup and the Dubai World Cup in back-to-back years. The first half of that equation was settled emphatically in Riyadh in February this year, when Forever Young held off Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile champion Nysos by a length to become the first horse to claim consecutive runnings of the Saudi Cup. The second half awaits on the wide, sweeping dirt oval where the scars of last year's frustration still linger.

The Lessons Of Defeat

Defeat is an unusual companion for Forever Young. Across his career, the Japanese-bred colt has tasted it only three times, and never without controversy or cruel circumstance. His third in the 150th Kentucky Derby settled by a matter of noses in a photo that still provokes debate. His third in the 2024 Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Classic saw him trapped on the rail at the crucial moment. And then came last year's Dubai World Cup, a race that Yahagi still discusses with barely concealed frustration.

The pre-race testing protocol at Meydan last year required Forever Young to be isolated in a darkened room for an extended period, unsettling the horse and his groom. Yahagi was convinced it compromised the performance of a colt sent off as the heavy favourite. That experience has shaped every decision in the build-up to this year's attempt. Learning from the setback, the trainer deliberately held something back in Saudi Arabia, managing Forever Young's preparation with the Dubai World Cup firmly in his sights.

"In terms of preparation, it's true that I wasn't perfect," he reflects on the Saudi Cup performance. "However, looking at the field this time, I felt that I had to win." Yet even as he acknowledged the imperative of defending his title in Riyadh, the trainer revealed that his calculations extended far beyond a single race. "But this is the race with the highest prize money in the world. I didn't think it would be easy to win. I am well aware that horse racing is not that easy. But my main goal is to make him the first horse in history to win both the Saudi Cup and the Dubai World Cup back-to-back. That's why I didn't push him to his full potential this time, with my eyes on the next race."

A Champion Forged On Foreign Soil

Forever Young was bred by Northern Racing at Northern Farm in Hokkaido, a son of Gr.1 Dubai Turf winner Real Steel out of Gr.2 Santa Ynez Stakes winner Forever Darling. Consigned to the JRHA Select Sale, the yearling was purchased for approximately US$893,000 by Susumu Fujita, the founder and President of CyberAgent. He rewarded that investment almost immediately, winning his debut at Kyoto by four lengths before romping to a seven-length victory in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun, giving Fujita first Group One winner.

What followed was a 3YO campaign of extraordinary range. Victories in the Gr.3 Saudi Derby and Gr.2 UAE Derby preceded the Kentucky Derby heartbreak, and Forever Young bounced back with domestic wins in the Japan Dirt Classic (Listed) and Gr.1 Tokyo Daishoten. As a 4YO, the brilliant colt reached the summit, claiming the Saudi Cup in a titanic stretch duel with Romantic Warrior before completing the season with a historic victory in the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar, becoming the first Japanese-bred and trained horse to capture that prize. He was subsequently named JRA Horse of the Year and awarded an Eclipse Award on dirt, both firsts for a Japanese-trained runner. Arriving back in the Middle East in 2026, his second consecutive Saudi Cup victory elevated him to the highest-earning racehorse in JRA history.

Reading The Dirt

Yahagi's success in the Middle East has not been accidental. With three Saudi Cup victories from just seven runnings, the trainer possesses an intimate understanding of the dirt surface at King Abdulaziz Racecourse and a sharp analytical mind for identifying which horses will prosper on it.

"Of course, we are taking on this challenge with consideration given to the horse's suitability for the track," he explains. "In the case of Panthalassa, horses with a proven track record on turf have run well in past Saudi Cups, which was a big boost. Also, it is true that Forever Young's high ability itself has led to his good results, but his suitability is probably not unrelated. There is no doubt that his success in the Saudi Derby also led to his subsequent challenge in the Saudi Cup."

That analytical approach extends to how he reads the nuances between Saudi Arabia's surface and the deeper dirt at Meydan. Twice before, Yahagi has attempted to complete the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup double, first with Panthalassa in 2023 and then with Forever Young last year. Both times, he fell short. "I wanted to have the first horse to win two cups in the Middle East, both with Panthalassa in 2023 and Forever Young last year," he admits. "Since we fell short both times, that desire is even stronger now. I want to achieve it this year."

The People Who Keep Him Calm

Beneath the grand ambitions lies something more fundamental: an understanding that the horse's welfare depends on the composure of the humans surrounding him. Yahagi is acutely aware that last year's difficulties at Meydan were as much about the disruption to routine as the testing itself. This time, continuity and familiarity form the backbone of his strategy.

"We've got the same staff as before," Yahagi says. "They've travelled overseas many times and know Dubai well. They don't have to worry about being overseas, and they can handle things the same way they would in Japan. That should prevent the horses from feeling any unnecessary tension. After all, if a person isn't calm, a sensitive horse will sense it."

That sensitivity extends to the partnership between Forever Young and jockey Ryusei Sakai, aboard for every major victory. Yahagi's decision to retain the 28-year-old rather than booking a more established international name has been vindicated spectacularly, though the trainer acknowledges growth remains ahead. "Japan has a lot of skilled veterans like Yutaka Take and Christophe Lemaire, so I know he still has a lot to learn," he says. "But from a young age, he's been travelling the world to gain experience, and he himself watches race footage from around the world every day, so he's really studying hard."

One moment crystallised Sakai's growing maturity. "When Romantic Warrior broke away early in the straight at last year's Saudi Cup, I was worried, thinking, 'Oh no, he might get beaten!'" Yahagi recalls. "But Ryusei calmly said, 'It's still too early. It'll be fine, I can catch him.' When I heard that after the race, I felt like he's really grown."

A Future Yet Unwritten

Should Forever Young deliver at Meydan on March 28, the accomplishment would stand as a defining moment for Japanese racing. The thick sands of the Middle East once repelled Japan's finest dirt horses, but Ushba Tesoro's 2023 Dubai World Cup and Forever Young's consecutive Saudi Cups have altered that narrative permanently.

Yet even as the focus narrows, the longer horizon is already shifting. Fujita declared after the second Saudi Cup, "I want to aim for a third consecutive victory next year," a statement that caught even Yahagi off guard. "Since I was considering retiring this year anyway, I was surprised when the owner said, 'Next year's Saudi Cup too,'" the trainer admits. "Ultimately, the decision is up to the owner, so once it's made, we'll have no choice but to respect that and move forward."

The prospect of an autumn campaign also remains open. "As for this fall, Japan's Gr.1 Champions Cup is also one of the options," Yahagi notes. "Unlike the past two years, the Breeders' Cup has been held on the east coast. I haven't yet decided whether to go or not."

For now, though, there is only Meydan, the wide dirt track stretching into the Dubai night, and the burning desire to right a wrong. Yahagi has adjusted his methods, retained the staff he trusts and deliberately left something in reserve. Forever Young arrives carrying the weight of unfinished business, and his trainer is determined that nothing will stand between the champion and his crowning achievement.