Forever Young Gives Japan First Breeders' Cup Classic

Forever Young, a 4-year-old Japanese colt trained by Yoshito Yahagi and ridden by Ryusei Sakai, held off defending champion Sierra Leone by a half-length to win the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in 2:00.19. The race lost top contender Sovereignty — the Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner — who was scratched after spiking a fever, but the Classic remained highly competitive. The victory increased Forever Young’s career earnings to about $19.36 million, marked Japan’s first Breeders' Cup Classic triumph, and was Yahagi’s third Breeders' Cup win and Sakai’s first. Owner Susumu Fujita and Yahagi called the result historic for Japanese racing, and Yahagi said he plans to return the horse to the Classic in 2026. Other big winners on the card included Ethical Diamond (Turf), Bentornato (Sprint), Scylla (Distaff) and graded-race winners Splendora, Notable Speech, Gezora and Nysos.