Forever Young Fine-Tunes Final Details and Is Ready to Depart for Keeneland

The Japanese champion worked 800 meters in 49s60/100 and will depart Tuesday for Kentucky, where he will seek to repeat his victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)

ELMONT, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— Forever Young completed his final workout at Belmont Park this Sunday and is cleared for departure to Keeneland, where on October 31 he will bid for a second consecutive victory in the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), the centerpiece event drawing global attention across the racing world.

The extraordinary son of Real Steel, owned by Susumu Fujita and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, covered 800 meters in 49s60/100, posting an opening 400-meter split of 25s60/100 and galloping out 1000 meters in 1m2s60/100.

The breeze took place on the Belmont Park main track on a brisk morning, with Yuki Araki, assistant to Yahagi and the champion's regular exercise rider, aboard for the move.

The colt initiated his breeze from the backstretch and responded smoothly when Araki asked him to pick up the tempo. Following the exercise, he exited the track and walked several laps along one of the tree-lined paths in the barn area.

The impression left was highly encouraging, particularly as the rider noted significant improvement compared to his workout seven days earlier, when Forever Young covered the same distance in 51s98/100.

“It was a solid work. Last time he drifted out slightly in the lane, but today he maintained a much straighter line. He improved, and mentally he is coming along as well, which is very positive,” Araki explained.

The assistant emphasized that the colt understood precisely what was required of him.

“We needed a good breeze and we executed it somewhat in the American style. I asked him to accelerate, but I didn't have to push him hard. He knew it was work day and responded very well. He moved with total ease. I am extremely pleased,” he added.

Forever Young has been based at Belmont Park for just over a month, where his connections opted to stay following his 3 1/4-length victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) over 2000 meters on September 18.

During this span, the Japanese champion made full use of the diverse surfaces available at the New York complex, including dirt tracks and Tapeta training areas.

“Belmont served as an outstanding training base for him. We were able to vary his routine, and the horse responded extraordinarily well. We are deeply grateful for all the facilities made available to us,” Araki commented.

The itinerary calls for a rest day on Monday followed by a van ride to Keeneland on Tuesday, where he will wrap up his final preparations for the main event.

Winner of the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar, Forever Young will attempt to join Tiznow (Cee's Tizzy), who swept the race in 2000 and 2001, as only the second horse in history to score back-to-back victories in the event.

His international campaign stands out as truly exceptional: compiling 16 starts across 10 racetracks in 4 countries, including consecutive victories in the Saudi Cup (G1) in 2025 and 2026, alongside his triumph in the 2024 Tokyo Daishoten (G1).

In Japan, where he was voted Horse of the Year and Champion Older Dirt Male, he remains undefeated in all six career appearances.