Yoshito Yahagi Latest News
02/11/2026
Sovereignty’s Triumph Elevates Legacy But Defeat Doesn’t Diminish Forever Young
Two great champions clashed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, highlighting what the sport should be about, while international raids are outlined for Bacio, Benvenuto Cellini, Diamond Necklace and T O Elvis.
David Morgan
31/10/2026
Sovereignty Reigns As Forever Young’s Breeders’ Cup Classic Defence Unravels
Godolphin’s U.S. Horse of the Year joined the “all-timers” with a stunning win as Japan’s greatest dirt track runner Forever Young failed to fire.
David Morgan
29/10/2026
Forever Young Wants To Be King
Idol Horse watched and listened as Yoshito Yahagi oversaw Forever Young’s important work morning ahead of his Breeders’ Cup Classic defence, and the champion did everything with an air of superiority.
David Morgan
29/10/2026
All-Time Greatness Awaits Sovereignty And Forever Young In Breeders’ Cup Clash
The two best dirt track runners in the world finally meet at Keeneland on Saturday and David Morgan’s World Racing Weekly has the word from the ground ahead of what shapes as an epic race.
David Morgan
21/09/2026
Forever Young Christens New Belmont – But Yahagi Wants Plenty More
The reigning Breeders' Cup Classic winner delivered the result the occasion demanded on the opening card at a rebuilt Belmont Park, yet his trainer put a number on his satisfaction: 100 per cent with the win, 50 per cent with the performance.
Michael Cox, Frank Chang
Who is Yoshito Yahagi?
Yoshito Yahagi is not only one of Japan’s greatest racehorse trainers but also a giant of the sport internationally. He has been the leading JRA trainer five times by number of wins and he has also trained a Triple Crown winner in Contrail.
Yahagi has also set the standard with his achievements overseas. He has won some of the world’s richest races in Dubai, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and the United States, and was close to securing the first Japanese victory in the Kentucky Derby in 2024 when Forever Young finished third, beaten by a margin of only two noses. The following year, Forever Young became the first Japanese-trained horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Yoshito Yahagi’s Origin Story
Yahagi was born in Tokyo in 1961 and grew up around the local NAR circuit’s Oi racecourse, where his late father Kazuto Yahagi was a jockey and then a trainer. As a young man, his father advised him to learn about the horse racing industry overseas, to move away from the local circuit, and to work in the centrally administered JRA.
He spent time in Australia in the early 1980s learning from Neville Begg and Bart Cummings, and in 1990 the JRA sent him to England for three months of working and learning at Geoff Wragg’s stable. The 1980s saw him first assist his father at Oi, where he is credited as being the first to implement interval training; then in 1984, he passed the JRA stable staff exam and moved to Ritto. It was under his second trainer, Sadataka Sugaya, that he flourished and was put forward for the trainers’ exam.
But he failed that test 13 times before the JRA finally licensed him in 2004, and he started training out of his own Ritto stable in 2005.
What is Yoshito Yahagi’s greatest achievement as a trainer?
A Triple Crown and multiple champion trainer titles are tough to top, but Yahagi’s groundbreaking wins at the Breeders’ Cup probably take the cake.
Japan had not won a Breeders’ Cup race prior to 2021, then Yahagi turned up in California with two mares: the top-class Loves Only You and the unheralded Marche Lorraine.
That day at Del Mar saw history made as Loves Only You won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, and Marche Lorraine beat the Americans at their own game on the dirt track to win the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Four years later, Yahagi would achieve even greater success when Forever Young claimed the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Which horse is Yoshito Yahagi’s best ever?
Yahagi’s had plenty of stars: Lys Gracieux, Loves Only You, Forever Young, Real Steel, Panthalassa, Deep Brillante, and Grand Prix Boss. But Contrail is Yahagi’s standout. The son of Deep Impact won the Triple Crown of the G1 Satsuki Sho, G1 Tokyo Yushun, and G1 Kikuka Sho in 2020 and was second to the great mare Almond Eye in that year’s G1 Japan Cup. The star colt struggled the following spring but returned in the autumn to place second behind that year’s top three-year-old Efforia in the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn, and bowed out with an impressive win in the G1 Japan Cup.
Yoshito Yahagi’s Training Style
Yahagi was greatly influenced by his time in Australia in the early 1980s and is known for running his horses frequently. He is allowed only 75 horses in his Ritto stable at any given time, so he has a meticulously planned system for rotating his horses between the main stable, the racetrack, and the farm, which maximises efficiency and reduces unnecessary costs. He also believes in selecting a jockey to suit the horse, rather than simply trying to get the top rider regardless.
Why does Yoshito Yahagi always wear a hat?
Yahagi is well-known for his large collection of hats in various styles and colours. Beyond a general liking for hats, there is a purpose to them. He decided early in his career that wearing a hat was a good way for people, particularly racing fans, to identify him, so it became a way for him to raise his profile.
Did you know…
Yoshito Yahagi’s stable colours are red and white as a nod to the French soccer team AS Monaco: his horses are easy to spot at trackwork, wearing red and white hoods, leg wraps, tack, and nosebands. Yahagi is also a big fan of cycle racing and has been a regular spectator at velodromes around Japan.
Our Favourite Yoshito Yahagi Stories
Yahagi’s Classic: How Forever Young Redefined Japan’s Breeders’ Cup Dream
【寫下歷史】矢作芳人經典一戰：「青春永駐」如何重塑日本的育馬者盃之夢
日本馬初のBCクラシック制覇、矢作調教師とフォーエバーヤングが塗り替えた日本競馬の「夢」
After years of trial, error and relentless ambition, Forever Young conquers Del Mar to seal a historic Breeders’ Cup Classic victory – a moment of redemption, mastery and a new chapter for Japan’s global racing rise.
經歷多年的不斷嘗試及失敗，「青春永駐」於德爾馬馬場奪冠，締造育馬者盃經典大賽的歷史性勝利。這個贖罪與登頂時刻，為日本賽馬於全球崛起翻開新篇章。
長年の試行錯誤と執念の末、フォーエバーヤングがデルマーでBCクラシックを制覇。雪辱と熟達が結実した歴史的な一勝は、日本競馬の海外遠征に新たな章を開いた。
Read More 閱讀更多 続きを読む
Yahagi Lauds Forever Young After Epic Saudi Cup Triumph Over Romantic Warrior
【世紀一戰】「青春永駐」於沙特盃險勝「浪漫勇士」
「最高の馬」矢作調教師、サウジカップの激闘を制したフォーエバーヤングに最大級の賛辞
The Japanese trainer’s second victory in the world’s richest race enhanced the reputations of both the winner and the runner-up.
日本練馬師矢作芳人再度勝出全球最高獎金賽事，令賽事冠亞軍聲譽都有所提升。
世界最高賞金レースで2度目の勝利を飾った矢作芳人調教師は、圧巻の走りを見せたフォーエバーヤングへの賞賛を惜しまない。激闘の末に2着となったロマンチックウォリアーもまた、その実力を改めて証明する形となった。
Read More 閱讀更多 続きを読む
Yahagi Wants JRA To Allow More Horses In Stables
【要求改革】矢作芳人希望 JRA 放寬養馬數量上限
矢作調教師、JRAに馬房数の制限緩和を求める改革案を披露
Japan’s most high-profile trainer Yoshito Yahagi shared a range of opinions, including the view that it will be harder to compete overseas if limits on stable numbers are not changed or removed.
日本最受矚目的練馬師分享了一系列見解，當中包括若不改變或取消養馬數量上限，他們將更難在海外競爭。
矢作芳人調教師が、厩舎の管理馬と馬房数の制限を変更もしくは撤廃しない限り、海外勢との競争が不利になってしまうという危機感を訴え、さまざまな改革案を明かした。
Read More 閱讀更多 続きを読む
Fearless Yahagi Relishing Shin Emperor’s European Challenge
『大胆不敵』矢作調教師、シンエンペラーのヨーロッパ進出に期待を寄せる
Globetrotting trainer Yoshito Yahagi is keen to test his three-year-old Shin Emperor against Europe’s stars in Ireland and France.
世界を股にかける矢作芳人調教師が、3歳馬のシンエンペラーをヨーロッパの舞台に送り込む。アイルランドとフランスで、ヨーロッパのスターホースたちに挑戦する予定だ。
Read More 閱讀更多 続きを読む
