Forever Young has run 16 times, and this Japanese horse has never finished worse than third. First, in February, the Japanese star won his second Saudi Cup. Then he ran Magnitude to a length in the Dubai World Cup, and in September he opened the new Belmont Park with a 3 1/4 length win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Now he goes for history at Keeneland, where on Saturday, October 31, Forever Young tries to become only the second horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice. So here is his story, his full race record and how we would bet him.
Who Is Forever Young?
Forever Young is a five-year-old Japanese horse by Real Steel out of Forever Darling, and he came into the world on February 24, 2021, at Northern Farm in Japan. Susumu Fujita owns him, while Yoshito Yahagi trains him and Ryusei Sakai rides him.
Since then, his trophy cabinet has filled up fast. Japan named him its 2025 Horse of the Year, the first dirt specialist to win the title, and he also took the Eclipse Award as champion older dirt male in North America. On top of that, his win at Del Mar last November made him the first Japanese-trained winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
In fact, Forever Young won his first three starts as a two-year-old in 2023. After that, he went on to win on dirt in Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States. So far, his lifetime record reads 16 starts, 12 wins, one second and three thirds, with $32,313,590 in earnings. That is the whole case for him.
How Forever Young Wins His Races
Above all, he wins by stalking. Sakai usually sits him just off the pace, then asks him to grind past the leaders in the stretch. As a result, he rarely ends up in a speed duel. That patient style also explains why he keeps hitting the board, even on the days he gets beat.
Forever Young’s Race Record
Here is his career so far, season by season. He has lost four times, yet he still finished in the first three every time.
| Season | Record | Wins | Defeats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 starts, 3 wins | Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (JpnI), JBC Nisai Yushun (JpnIII), Kyoto debut | None |
| 2024 | 6 starts, 4 wins | Saudi Derby (G3), UAE Derby (G2), Japan Dirt Classic (JpnI), Tokyo Daishoten (G1) | 3rd in the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic |
| 2025 | 4 starts, 3 wins | Saudi Cup (G1), Nippon TV Hai (JpnII), Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) | 3rd in the Dubai World Cup |
| 2026 | 3 starts, 2 wins | Saudi Cup (G1), Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) | 2nd to Magnitude in the Dubai World Cup |
All 16 starts came on dirt. Career total: 12 wins, one second and three thirds.
In fact, the pattern stands out once you lay it all out. His only defeats came in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the last two runnings of the Dubai World Cup. Even that Derby ended in a three-horse photo, with Forever Young just behind Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone. No horse in Saturday’s field can match Forever Young for that kind of consistency.
Two Saudi Cups and a Breeders’ Cup Classic
For example, the 2025 Saudi Cup showed what Forever Young can do against the world’s best horses. That day, Romantic Warrior, Hong Kong’s champion, took the lead on the far turn. Even so, Forever Young tracked him down in the final strides and won by a neck. It was the race that made his name.
Later, in November, he went to Del Mar and won the Breeders’ Cup Classic by a half length from Sierra Leone. A year earlier, he had finished third in the same race on the same track.
Then, in February 2026, he went back to Riyadh for the $20 million Saudi Cup and won it again. Same result. This time Bob Baffert’s Nysos chased him home a length behind, while Tumbarumba ran third. As a result, Forever Young now owns back-to-back Saudi Cups.
Forever Young in 2026: From Dubai to the New Belmont Park
Still, Dubai remains the one big dirt race on his list that he hasn’t won. On March 28, Magnitude led every step of the Dubai World Cup at Meydan. Forever Young chased hard but finished second, a length behind, though that still beat his third place in 2025.
Afterwards, Yahagi said the Meydan dirt didn’t seem to suit Forever Young, and the horse has now come up short in two Dubai World Cups. Keeneland is a different test again.
A Winning Return in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
After that, Forever Young took six months off. Then he came back on September 18 in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the first Grade 1 at the rebuilt Belmont Park. As the 2/5 favorite, he won by 3 1/4 lengths in 2:01.23 for 1 1/4 miles, according to NYRA’s race report. Meanwhile, Stars and Stripes ran second, and Baeza finished third.
The win also earned him a Win and You’re In spot in the Classic. Saturday should bring a stronger pace, though, because Magnitude led every step in Dubai and likes to go forward. Since then, Forever Young has moved on to Keeneland, and Saturday will be his first start on its main track.
Breeders’ Cup Classic 2026: Forever Young’s Next Race
The $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic runs at Keeneland on Saturday, October 31, at 6:16pm ET. Also, it covers 1 1/4 miles on dirt and closes the two-day Breeders’ Cup. Forever Young drew post 5, the same post he won from at Del Mar last year, and he is the 2/1 morning line favorite.
History is the hurdle, though. Tiznow is still the only horse to win the Classic twice, in 2000 and 2001. Meanwhile, eight horses drew in, and this looks like the strongest group of horses Forever Young has met in America.
The Rivals Forever Young Must Beat
Sovereignty (post 2, 5/2) is the reigning Horse of the Year, and he won the Whitney by 4 3/4 lengths in August. However, a foot abscess cost him the Jockey Club Gold Cup, so he comes in off a 12-week break. Magnitude (post 6, 6/1) beat Forever Young in Dubai, but he faded to sixth in the Whitney. We’d forgive him that one.
On top of that, Knightsbridge (post 7, 9/2) won the Pacific Classic by 6 1/4 lengths. Golden Tempo (post 3, 5/1) took the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, so he brings the best three-year-old form. For a closer look at every runner, read our Breeders’ Cup Classic 2026 preview.
How to Bet Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic
At 2/1, nobody gets rich backing Forever Young to win. We know that. Still, his record makes him the safest anchor on the whole Breeders’ Cup card. Because Forever Young has hit the board in all 16 starts, we want this horse on every exotic ticket we play.
After all, short prices are nothing new for him. He went off at 2/5 at Belmont, since the public knows exactly how good he is. For this reason, the value sits underneath him rather than on top.
So here is how we’d play it. Start with a straight win bet on Forever Young. Then box him with Sovereignty and Magnitude in a $1 exacta, which costs $6 for all six orders. Finally, key him on top of a $1 trifecta. Put Sovereignty and Magnitude in second, then add Golden Tempo to those two for third. In total, that trifecta costs $4.
For a lower risk play, a show bet suits a horse who has never finished worse than third. It pays little, but it would have cashed in every race he has ever run. Also, our guide on how to read betting odds explains how the morning line compares with the final pari-mutuel dividend.
Bet Forever Young and the Breeders’ Cup With MyWinners
Forever Young’s bid to become the second horse with two Classic wins closes the Breeders’ Cup, so make it the last leg of your weekend. Keeneland isn’t a Churchill Downs track, so every MyWinners customer aged 18 and over can bet the full card, not just Connecticut residents. On top of that, our Championship Saturday guide covers all nine Grade 1s on the day, and the Breeders’ Cup 2026 hub guide has both days in one place.
Before the race, you can also read our Zenyatta profile on another Classic legend, or our guide to betting the Breeders’ Cup in Connecticut.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
