“Road to the Cup:” Forever Young Returns For Trip in Jockey Club Gold Cup

FOREVER YOUNG ON EARLY U.S. TRIP IN JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP

Global Superstar Tunes Up for Longines Classic Title Defense

ELMONT, N.Y. (Sept. 16, 2026) – Sept. 18 is a day that has been long awaited by racing fans in the United States.

Following three years of construction, New York’s historic Belmont Park is set to reopen with a brand new look, and the unveiling of a new state-of-the-art facility drew the interest of one of the sport’s biggest stars.

Susumu Fujita’s globe-trotting superstar Forever Young (JPN) has arrived in New York to compete in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on Belmont’s opening day, drawing international interest to an already major event. The Japan-bred and based champion’s appearance also signifies what could become a monumental turning point in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.

The elite competition features an opportunity to punch a ticket to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this fall through the Challenge Series – an international series of stakes races, whose winners receive automatic starting positions with fees paid into a corresponding race of the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course Oct. 30-31.

Read this week’s preview here or view the Challenge Series schedule here, and to supplement your coverage of Friday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup, view this Photoshelter Gallery and the attached Forever Young fact sheet.

The 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Returns to Action in the U.S. on Sept. 18 at

the New Belmont Park En Route to the World Championships

Quick Take:

 Forever Young (JPN) became Japan’s first winner of the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)

when he galloped to victory in the marquee race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in

2025 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

 The Yoshito Yahagi trainee, owned by Susumu Fujita and bred by Northern Racing in Japan, is on

track to defend his title in the 2026 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic when the World Championships

are held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

 First up for Forever Young on his stateside return is a run in the Sept. 18 Jockey Club Gold Cup

(G1), a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In event for the Longines Breeders’ Cup

Classic, although Forever Young already secured his free berth to this year’s Longines Breeders’

Cup Classic with a Saudi Cup (G1) score in February.

 The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be held on opening day at the new Belmont Park, where the 2027

Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held. For more information, visit

BreedersCup.com/2027.

Pedigree:

 Forever Young was foaled on Feb. 24, 2021. The bay horse is by Real Steel (JPN) and out of the

American-bred mare Forever Darling, by Congrats.

 Forever Young boasts Hall of Fame influences throughout his pedigree. His sire Real Steel is a son

of Japanese Triple Crown winner and Hall of Famer Deep Impact, who is by 1989 Kentucky Derby

(G1), Preakness Stakes (G1), and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sunday Silence.

 As of August 2026, Forever Young has more than $31.7 million in total career earnings.

Connections:

 Owner Susumu Fujita is the founder and Representative Director, Executive Officer, and Chariman

of CyberAgent, the parent company of Cygames, title sponsor of the Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint

(G1).

 Trainer Yoshito Yahagi is the only Japanese trainer in history to win at the Breeders’ Cup. He

secured his third Breeders’ Cup victory in the 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, following

Loves Only You (JPN) in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) and Marche Lorraine

(JPN) in the 2021 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).

PAGE 1 OF 3 Jockey Ryusei Sakai was born into a racing family. His father rode on the local National Association

of Racing circuit before becoming a trainer at Oi Racecourse, while his uncle was a professional

jockey and his grandfather worked as a stable attendant. After graduating from the Japan Racing

Association Horse Racing School in 2016, Sakai began his apprenticeship with trainer Yoshito

Yahagi. Under Yahagi’s mentorship, Sakai gained valuable opportunities that helped sharpen his

riding style and tactical awareness, and he rose to international stardom aboard Forever Young.

Accomplishments & Accolades

 Forever Young has won at the highest level in Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, and

has competed in four countries, adding Dubai to the list with a third in the 2025 Dubai World Cup

(G1) and a second in the 2026 Dubai World Cup.

 In 2025 he was the highest-rated dirt horse in the world on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse

Rankings.

 The 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) marked the U.S. debut of Forever Young. His third by a nose behind

Sierra Leone, who was another nose back of winner Mystik Dan, is the best finish in Kentucky

Derby history by a Japanese Thoroughbred.

 He also finished third in the 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, behind Sierra Leone and

Fierceness, before returning to win the 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

 In 2025, Forever Young was named Japan’s Horse of the Year, becoming the first dirt horse to

earn the country’s highest racing honor. He was also voted Best Older Colt or Horse and Best Dirt

Horse in Japan.

 Forever Young earned the 2025 Eclipse Award as Champion Older Dirt Male, becoming the first

Japanese-trained horse to win an Eclipse Award in a dirt racing category.

 Forever Young became the first horse to win the Saudi Cup twice, capturing the race in consecutive

years (2025-26). His other major victories include the 2024 Saudi Derby (G3), 2024 UAE Derby

(G2), 2024 Japan Dirt Classic, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten (G1), and the 2025 Nippon TV Hai.

 Forever Young has never finished worse than third. His career record stands at 15 starts with an

11-1-3 record.

 His victories in the 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic and the 2025-26 editions of the Saudi

Cup established him as one of the most accomplished international dirt horses of his generation.