Japan: Forever Young earns first Grade 1 victory in Tokyo Daishoten

In his first start since a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2, Forever Young won Sunday’s Grade 1 Tokyo Daishoten at 1 1/4 miles on dirt as a heavy favorite at Oi Racecourse in Japan.

Forever Young (3-10) stalked pacesetter Crown Pride for the first mile before challenging for the lead in early stretch. Crown Pride faded from contention with a furlong remaining, leaving Forever Young in front.

Ridden by Ryusei Sakai, Forever Young finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 4-1 Wilson Tesoro, who was second in the Grade 1 Champions Cup at Chukyo Racecourse on Dec. 1.

Ramjet (17-2) finished third in the $1.07 million Tokyo Daishoten, beaten two lengths. Ushba Tesoro, who won the 2023 Tokyo Daishoten and was 10th in the BC Classic at Del Mar, finished fourth in the field of 10.

Forever Young, a Japanese-bred colt by Real Steel, has won 7 of 9 starts. The Tokyo Daishoten was his first win in a Grade 1 race. Earlier this year, Forever Young was third in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in his American debut.

Owned by Susumu Fajita and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, Forever Young is a candidate for the Group 1 Saudi Cup, a $20 million race at 1 1/8 miles in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 22.

In the BC Classic, Forever Young stalked the pace throughout and finished 2 3/4 lengths behind Sierra Leone.

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