Forever Young (horse)

Forever Young was bred at Northern Farm stud in Hokkaido, Japan, and was foaled on February 24, 2021. In 2022, he was consigned as a foal to the JRHA Select Sale and was bought for ¥98,000,000 (US$892,938.5) gross by Susumu Fujita. Afterwards, he was trained by Yoshito Yahagi.

His sire, Real Steel, was a champion horse which won the Dubai Turf in 2016. His dam, Forever Darling, who was an American racehorse, won the Grade II Santa Ynez Stakes in 2016.

His owner, Susumu Fujita [ja], is the founder and president of CyberAgent, whose subsidiaries include Abema and Cygames. Forever Young is named after a song of the same name by AK-69 featuring UVERworld. The song is the theme song of Abema's drama series Kaisha wa Gakkou janen da yo [ja], which is based on Susumu Fujita's book Shibuya dewa Taraki Shachō no Kokuhaku.

The birthday of Forever Young, February 24, 2021, is the same as the release date of Cygames' horse racing mobile game Uma Musume Pretty Derby. Fujita became a horse owner in 2021, after the release of Uma Musume Pretty Derby, and has been the biggest spender at JRHA Select Sale from 2021 to 2023, spending over ¥2.2 billion every year. Fans of the game have speculated that Forever Young might become a "horse girl", a type of character in Uma Musume.

2023: Two-year-old season

Forever Young began his racing career in a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 1,800 metres on good ground at Kyoto Racecourse on October 14, 2023. Ridden by Ryusei Sakai [ja], he started the 16/5 second choice and won by four lengths.

Sakai was again in the saddle when the colt was stepped up in domestic Group 3 class to contest the JBC Nisai Yushun [ja] over the same distance at Monbetsu Racecourse [ja] in the following month on November 3, 2023. He started the 6/5 favourite and prevailed by one-and-a-half lengths.

On December 13 at Kawasaki Racecourse, Forever Young stepped up to Domestic Group 1 class to contest Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun over 1,600 metres. He started the 11/10 favourite in the betting and won by seven lengths from Aigle Noir [ja]. This is the first time Fujita had a horse that won a Group 1 race. Forever Young is from the second crop of foals sired by Real Steel, and became the first Group 1 race winner among Real Steel's progeny.

For his performance in 2023, he received a rating of 113 from JPN Thoroughbred Ranking [ja], which is the highest rating of two-year-old dirt racing horses in the history of the ranking system. Among the five two-year-olds with a rating of 113 or above, Shin Emperor [ja], whose rating was 113, is also owned by Fujita.

2024: Three-year-old season

On his first run as a three-year-old, Forever Young went to Saudi Arabia to run in the Group III Saudi Derby over 1,600 metres on February 24, 2024. He started the 8/13 odds-on favourite with British bookmakers and won by only a nose. In the race, he had a rough start and had to make up for the four-to-five-length difference from the leading horse, Book'em Danno, in the middle of the final straight. He finished the race in 1:36.17, about two seconds faster than the track record for the distance. This is the first time a horse of Fujita won an overseas graded race. After the race, his trainer, Yahagi, said the next race would be the UAE Derby in order to obtain Kentucky Derby points for taking part in the Kentucky Derby. By February, he ranked second on Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, trailing behind Ramjet [ja], the winner of the Hyacinth Stakes.

On March 30, Forever Young ran in the 1,900-meter Group II UAE Derby held at Meydan Racecourse dirt in Dubai, with jockey Ryusei Sakai. Forever Young was assigned to the outside, in gate 11. He came out of the gate well, took a position outside and behind the leaders. Moving into the stretch, the field straightened. South American Auto Bahn went to the front but could not withstand Forever Young, who came up strongly to win by two lengths in a time of 1:57.89. Trainer Yahagi commented after the race, "It will be very difficult to go from Dubai to Kentucky. But I believe my team will do everything to be in good order to go to Kentucky." Jockey Sakai also added that Forever Young "very much improved" after the Saudi Derby, adding, "That's why I have confidence in him. I really trust this horse." Forever Young collected 100 qualification points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby and entered the event undefeated.

In the early morning hours of April 13, Forever Young arrived at Churchill Downs, having been conditioned by Yahagi. The following morning rider Yusaku Oka took the colt out for about 20 minutes of jogging in the course's one-mile chute, followed by a 1+1⁄8-mile gallop.

* Forever Young is inbred 4S x 4D to the stallion Mr Prospector, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

• Kentucky Derby top four finishers

• Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association – Forever Young race record

• Netkeiba – Forever Young race record

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References