Yoshito Yahagi’s entourage cheered and clapped their hands when Forever Young was announced in gate five for the G1 Breeders’ Classic during the post position event in the Del Mar paddock Monday evening.
The clash between North America’s elite three and four-year-olds and Japan’s greatest ever dirt track runner is already being billed as perhaps ‘the race of the century.’ And that soundbite is not all hype either, not with the first three from last year’s Classic returning to face this year’s dominant Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes hero Sovereignty and the Preakness Stakes winner Journalism.
Yahagi himself smiled beneath his brimmed hat when number five came up for his G1 Saudi Cup winner. Seated alongside him, even the ever cool and aloof Ryusei Sakai, dressed in sharp black, couldn’t disguise the satisfaction behind the dark-lensed Wayfarer shades that covered his eyes.
Forever Young’s jockey endured a troubled run in the Classic from gate one last year, losing ground on the inner as the wide-drawn winner Sierra Leone and second-placed Fierceness went past him, before staying on for third.
This time the son of Real Steel has a plum gate, with the recent G1 Pacific Classic winner Fierceness handed the innermost berth, Sierra Leone in seven, and likely race favourite Sovereignty to his immediate outer in six. Sierra Leone’s pacemaker Contrary Thinking has drawn to the other side of Forever Young in barrier four.
Yahagi told Idol Horse via an interpreter immediately after the draw that he was “happy” with Forever Young’s position.
“We are beside the pacemaker and the whole field lines up in a great order for us,” the master trainer said. “He should be racing close to the pace, not too far back.”
Forever Young has been at Del Mar since early last Wednesday. Monday morning saw the four-year-old canter a lap of the Del Mar dirt and then head for paddock schooling; he is expected to breeze on Wednesday morning.
Yahagi said he was “pleased” with the horse, especially “physically.”
Immediately after last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic loss, the trainer talked about returning to seek revenge for that defeat and he is looking forward to seeing his stable star take on the best North America can muster.
“This is one of the greatest fields in the world and we are very pleased to be in against these horses in such a great race,” he said.
Yahagi’s small raiding party also features American Stage in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Switch In Love in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
The muted cheers from the Yahagi team sounded ironic when American Stage was drawn in gate nine and when asked afterwards what he thought of the draw, the trainer said in English “Not too bad” and laughed.
As for Switch In Love’s draw in six of 13, Yahagi said, “That’s ok for her” and noted how special it would be if she could win.
The filly is a daughter of his Triple Crown winner Contrail and wears the black and green silks of DMM Dream Club whose Loves Only You, also trained by Yahagi, became Japan’s first ever Breeders’ Cup winner at Del Mar in 2021. ∎
