Forever Young gave the rebuilt Belmont Park the headline act it was constructed for on Friday, but Yoshito Yahagi left the New York track only half-satisfied with a horse he says he will never see the likes of again.
The Japanese superstar beat three rivals by 3¼ lengths in the US$1 million G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, the feature of the first card run at the Long Island venue since 9 July, 2023, following a three-year, US$555 million reconstruction that replaced the old brick grandstand with a low-slung modern facility. The sell-out crowd – albeit one capped at 6,000 because construction is ongoing and only the first two floors open to the public – watched him take his tally to five G1 wins.
The US$550,000 winner’s cheque took him to US$32.3 million, closing the gap on Romantic Warrior, who retired earlier this month on HK$288.7 million (US$36.8 million) as the sport’s all-time leading earner. Forever Young now heads to the US$7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on 31 October, a race he won last year at Del Mar.
Winning was one thing, but the manner of it was another. Ryusei Sakai’s mount covered the 10 furlongs in 2:01.23 on his first start since finishing second in the Dubai World Cup in March, tracking the pacemaking Phileas Fogg before drawing clear – without ever switching leads in the straight.
“On winning this race, I am 100 per cent satisfied. Performance-wise, I am only 50 per cent satisfied,” Yahagi said. “I feel he is more than 80 per cent fit, but his race performance wasn’t at that level. I think he was fit physically but wasn’t mentally.”
Pressed on the flat final furlong, the trainer pointed to the spell. “I think it was because he just came back from the spell. He didn’t accelerate as I expected.”
Sakai, aboard for all 16 starts across 10 tracks in four countries, offered a blunter theory. “Maybe also because the jockey wasn’t good enough,” he said, before adding that the tempo had not helped. “I never need to worry about how he settles. But if you think about his next race in the Breeders’ Cup, it would be better if the pace could be faster.”
It was Yahagi who had asked for the forward ride, wary of a repeat of Meydan. “I told Ryusei always keep the frontrunner within your range. I really don’t want to see a frontrunner make all the way just like in Dubai, so I instructed Ryusei to push early.”
Asked whether the five-year-old would be sharper in six weeks, Yahagi did not hesitate. “Of course, I will make him better in six weeks.”
He had earlier conceded that on Friday’s evidence, “with his performance today he won’t win the Breeders’ Cup” – a verdict softened slightly by his reading of the surface, with Sakai reporting the ground rode on the heavy side.
The plan is to stay put rather than ship home. “The new Belmont Park has some great training facilities, so I will train the horse here until October 20, and then head to Keeneland,” Yahagi said. “I think he’s quite fit physically, so we will let him relax a little bit since it’s still six weeks until his next race.”
The defence of his Classic crown may yet be softened by absence: Horse of the Year Sovereignty was scratched from Friday’s race with a foot abscess and remains in doubt for Keeneland.
For Yahagi, the day carried a warmth he made a point of contrasting with previous overseas raids. “Wherever you travel your horse abroad, normally you would feel you are away from home. But people here in America welcomed us and cheered for us so warmly, so we didn’t feel we were away – we felt we were at home.”
Beyond Keeneland, the dream of a third Saudi Cup lingers, though not in his gift. “As a trainer, of course I want to run him in the Saudi Cup, but it’s not my decision,” he said, joking that “the stud farm will be angry” if the horse never retires.
What is not in dispute is what he has. “I think he’s that type of horse that I can never encounter again in my whole life.” ∎
