Forever Young set to star as new era opens at Belmont Park

The Japanese champion will make his return after nearly six months on the sidelines in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), the feature event this Friday for the long-awaited reopening of the renovated New York venue. In the absence of Sovereignty, he will top a field of 7 runners with the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) targeted as his next major objective

ELMONT, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— Belmont Park waited three years to welcome racing back, and it found a superstar worthy of such a historic occasion. Forever Young, one of the top horses in the world and reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) champion, will headline Friday's Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1-2000m, $1,000,000), the feature race on a day marking the dawn of a new era for New York’s legendary venue.

The son of Real Steel returns to the United States following a brief yet intense international campaign, with a far more significant target looming just weeks away: defending his crown in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 31 at Keeneland.

The forced withdrawal of Sovereignty (Into Mischief), sidelined by a foot abscess, deprived racegoers of a highly anticipated clash between two of dirt racing's premier titans, but it further cements the Japanese champion as the undisputed favorite.

Forever Young has not competed since March 28, when he finished second by a length to Magnitude (Not This Time) in the Dubai World Cup (G1). Earlier in the season, he defended his title in the Saudi Cup (G1), drawing clear by a length over Nysos (Nyquist).

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi took a patient approach. The horse resumed exercise in early August at Hakodate, taking advantage of the cooler climate in Hokkaido, before shipping directly to New York.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup will mark just the 16th start of his career and his 10th distinct racetrack appearance, capping a globetrotting journey that has taken him through Japan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and the United States. As always, regular rider Ryusei Sakai will be in the irons, breaking from post position 7.

His history on American soil includes unforgettable chapters. In 2024, he finished third by a nose in a dramatic Kentucky Derby (G1) and later occupied the same spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic behind Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and Fierceness (City of Lights). Twelve months later, he returned to Del Mar to exact revenge, wearing down Sierra Leone by a half-length to definitively establish his dominance at the highest level of U.S. racing.

Forever Young boasts an incredible record of 11 wins, one second, and three thirds from 15 lifetime starts, with career earnings topping $31.7 million.

Yahagi did not hide what it means to be part of Belmont's grand reopening. “It is a great honor to race in New York at such a memorable moment, coinciding with the reopening of this historic track. Through the Jockey Club Gold Cupand the Breeders’ Cup Classic, I hope we can contribute to the growth and promotion of American racing,” the trainer stated.

Phileas Fogg, the Form Horse

While Forever Young arrives backed by supreme international credentials, Phileas Fogg brings current form and absolute mastery of the 2000-meter distance. The Gustavo Rodríguez trainee has won 3 of his 4 starts at the trip and comes off arguably the race of his life in the Suburban Stakes (G2), where he wired the field to score by 10 lengths, earning a 114 Beyer Speed Figure—the highest in Friday's field.

His trajectory is equally remarkable. Rodríguez claimed him for just $62,500 at Saratoga in July 2024, and the son of Astern has since developed into the barn's flagship horse, amassing over $1.1 million in earnings.

Baeza poses another serious threat. Bill Mott will miss Sovereignty, but he still saddles this son of McKinzie, who this season placed third in the Alysheba Stakes (G2), second in the Stephen Foster (G1), and fourth in the Whitney Stakes (G1)—a race won by Sovereignty.

His main undoing has been slow starts out of the gate. If he breaks cleanly, his formidable late kick could make him a dangerous closer. Baeza proved his top-class talent during 2025 when he placed third in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes (G1) before capturing the Pennsylvania Derby (G1).

Mott will also send out Stars and Stripes (Not This Time), who cuts back sharply in distance after prevailing by a nose in the Birdstone Stakes (L) over 2800 meters at Saratoga. Prior to that, he captured the Ben Ali Stakes (G3) at Keeneland.

Completing the field are Banishing (Ghostzapper), winner of this season's Godolphin Mile (G2) at Meydan; Chunk of Gold (Preservationist), supplemented after finishing second to Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo) in the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3); and Render Judgment (Blame), guided by Manny Franco, whose entry was greenlit following Sovereignty's scratch.

The winner will earn a "Win and You're In" berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, though for Forever Young, that ticket is largely academic.

The Japanese superstar already holds his place among the world's elite, and his ultimate trial awaits at Keeneland. Before that, he carries the responsibility of inaugurating a bold new era on the track at Belmont Park—a venue rebuilt for the future that selected a global champion to headline its grandest day.