Forever Young now a fine-tuned machine
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ELMONT, N.Y. – Yuki Araki has been with Forever Young for the better part of four years, getting on him most mornings throughout the Japanese colt’s remarkable career. Araki believes the Forever Young who makes his fourth visit to the United States this fall may be the best version of the horse who is a champion on two continents and a four-time Group or Grade 1 winner.
“Technically, his balance is almost perfect,” Araki, an assistant to trainer Yoshito Yahagi as well as Forever Young’s morning rider, said Monday morning at Belmont Park. “When he was younger, his hind [end] was a little bit weak, unbalanced. With time, I wanted more straightness and now he’s really good, he’s balanced so well.”
Ryusei Sakai, the jockey who has been aboard Forever Young for all of his 15 races, agrees.
“When he was a 3-year-old, he was unbalanced,” Sakai said through an interpreter. “Since last year, Breeders’ Cup time, I felt he was balanced. But he’s improved and he’s more balanced at the moment.”
Sakai spoke Tuesday morning after guiding Forever Young through a five-furlong workout in 1:02.01 over Belmont Park’s main track in preparation for Friday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup. At first glance, the time won’t catch your attention. But after he went his first quarter in 27.93 seconds, Forever Young zipped home his final three furlongs in 34.08 through the lane.
“He has a big gear,” Sakai said.
Forever Young, now 5, has won 11 of 15 starts and while one of those wins did come in the UAE Derby at Meydan in Dubai in the spring of 2024, his connections wonder if he really likes the Meydan track. In 2025, he finished third, two lengths behind Hit Show, in the Dubai World Cup. In his most recent start, Forever Young chased the front-running Magnitude but could not catch him, finishing one length back in the World Cup.
“When he hit the turn, he didn’t improve as the jockey expected, that’s why he struggled,” said Hiroshi Ando, travel manager for Yahagi. “I don’t know what the reason, maybe the track. This is two years in a row he did that in Dubai, he might not like that track. I don’t know, I couldn’t say because he ran huge.”
Forever Young shipped to Dubai shortly after he beat Nysos in the Saudi Cup, a $20 million race he won for the second consecutive year. Akari said perhaps being in Dubai for six weeks was too long, in addition to a change in weather.
“The weather was getting hot at the end of March,” Akari said.
Forever Young is in America primarily to run in a third straight Breeders’ Cup Classic, this year to be held Oct. 31 at Keeneland. In 2024, at Del Mar, Forever Young finished third behind Sierra Leone and Fierceness. In 2025, once again at Del Mar, Forever Young beat both horses in the BC Classic as Sierra Leone finished second and Fierceness third.
“We know he was good enough to be in against Fierceness and Sierra Leone,” Akari said. “We just needed to show his ability, his performance. The Breeders’ Cup, that was a great moment.”
In his first visit to the United States, Forever Young finished third in the Kentucky Derby, beaten two noses by Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone, the latter having bumped Forever Young late.
“We don’t want to hear he ran well, we want to see congratulations,” Ando said.
After his second in the Dubai World Cup, Forever Young had ample time off in Japan before ramping his training back up in August. Forever Young arrived in New York on Sept. 7. After a 42-hour quarantine, Forever Young was allowed to train, basically by himself, on Sept. 10. His connections said Forever Young was a bit nervous that morning but has since settled in nicely. His morning routine consists of a visit to Belmont’s new Tapeta track – when open – followed by a training session on the main track and a period of walking down and back up the horse path.
As Forever Young will be here for a month after the Gold Cup – he leaves for Keeneland on Oct. 20 – Araki said he will mix in a few visits to the smaller Belmont Park training track just to keep things different for Forever Young.
Despite the layoff, Forever Young appears to be fit and ready to run. While his connections certainly want to win this race, the goal is the Classic.
“We will have space to improve from here to the Breeders’ Cup,” Ando said. “We expect he’s in really good condition right now. I don’t know how much percent, we will find out after the race.”
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