Ricky Westaby , Freelance Sports Reporter
Published: 11:55, 27 Jun 2026
Forever Young has established himself as one of the defining dirt horses of his generation over recent years.
The Breeder’s Cup champion has accumulated victories across four different countries in his career.
And in doing so he has set a series of impressive records that leave him always highly sought after by bettors looking for a sure-fire punt.
The end is sadly near for those who love watching him on the racetrack, however, with Forever Young set to be retired in early 2027.
It would be remiss of SunSport to not look back and review what has been a glittering horse racing career from the five-year-old legend.
Forever Young’s expectations around his first official race were extremely high.
His early performances in training and the promise he had already shown before his first steps on a race course had knowledgeable people buzzing in anticipation.
And the Japanese thoroughbred delivered on those expectations as he won his very first race in October 2023 in Kyoto by four lengths.
By the close of the year he had won three races and earned a JPN Thoroughbred Ranking rating of 113, which no two-year-old competing on dirt had achieved before.
Next up for Forever Young came his first race on foreign dirt as he was entered into the Saudi Derby in February 2024.
It was as if he had known the track all his life, as the superstar in the making made Saudi Derby history with a recorded time of 1:36.17.
No horse in the history of the Saudi Derby had ever come close to the 1:36 mark, and to make it even sweeter, it was his owner’s first overseas win ever.
Not content with just the Saudi Derby title, Forever Young became the first ever horse in the history of the competition to finish first twice in the Saudi Cup in 2025 and 2026.
In between those two historic triumphs, the legendary horse became the first Japanese champion of the Breeder’s Cup Classic in 2025.
Alongside these incredible achievements, Forever Young has also won the UAE Derby, the Japan Dirt Classic and Tokyo Daishoten.
He has never finished below third in his career, and has only finished third three times, one of those being at the Kentucky Derby in 2025.
Rounding out his spectacular resume, Forever Young was the first Japanese horse ever to receive the American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse recognition award in 2025.
The Breeder’s Cup awaits its reigning champion one last time in October, and he may have a last shot at another Saudi Cup in early 2027 if his owner sees fit.
