Having secured victories in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, and DraftKings Travers Stakes, the expectation is for Sovereignty to obtain the most highly regarded honor in North America: the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year.
However, in triumphing in the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1 at Del Mar, a competition from which Sovereignty was removed due to health concerns, Japan’s Forever Young demonstrated his international capabilities, displaying his aptitude for global competition by outpacing Sierra Leone and Fierceness – the two adversaries who had previously defeated him earlier in the year on the same course in the Classic.
His slim victory by a half-length over Sierra Leone on Saturday earned Forever Young a second significant Grade/Group 1 win this year, following his determined performance in the $20 million Saudi Cup in late February. He also achieved a third-place finish in the April 5 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline and claimed victory in the Oct. 1 Nippon TV Hai in his home country of Japan among his other races this year.
Forever Young’s success prompted energetic celebrations from the Japanese supporters present at Del Mar, both among the spectators and those involved with the horse, as they anticipated Forever Young’s return to the winner’s circle post-race. Some individuals connected to Forever Young were visibly emotional as they witnessed the historic achievement of the first Japanese-trained horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in its 42-year existence.
Ryusei Sakai, Forever Young’s usual jockey, skillfully guided Forever Young, positioning him in second place for the majority of the first half of the race, while Sierra Leone’s stablemate, Contrary Thinking, surprisingly sprinted to the front. The speed was genuine – in line with what Sierra Leone’s and Contrary Thinking’s trainer Chad Brown had desired for the race – though not as rapid as the previous year’s race, which lacked a designated pacesetter, referred to as a “rabbit” in horse racing terminology.
As Contrary Thinking began to fade on the second bend, Forever Young seized the lead. Mindframe and Journalism, who had been closely following the pace, attempted to challenge at that point, but their efforts waned in the stretch. Instead, Fierceness and Sierra Leone emerged as the primary threats down the stretch, with Fierceness finding an opening after being boxed in along the inside for a considerable part of the race, and Sierra Leone sweeping wide to contend.
However, neither could overtake Forever Young in the final stretch. Forever Young, leading by 1 ½ lengths with a furlong to go, resisted Sierra Leone’s late charge. He completed the race in 2:00.19 on a dry track, surpassing Sierra Leone’s winning time of 2:00.78 in the 2024 race. His Classic time marked the fastest since Flightline covered 1 ¼ miles in 2:00.05 at Keeneland three years prior.
Sakai attributed Forever Young’s triumph to his excellent fitness, noting that “the horse took me there automatically,” as translated from Japanese by Hiroshi Ando, the racing manager for trainer Yoshito Yahagi.
Flavien Prat, Sierra Leone’s jockey, remarked, “I believed I was going to catch him, but the winner simply persisted.”
Chad Brown suggested that the track conditions at Del Mar on Saturday favored horses with early speed, placing a disadvantage on a closer like Sierra Leone.
“I’m very proud of my horse’s performance. He showed tremendous courage to run against the track profile and nearly succeed,” Brown commented. “He and Forever Young share similarities, and their rivalry has been remarkable since the Derby, and today it was Forever Young’s chance to secure the victory, and we congratulate them.”
Fierceness, the 2023 champion 2-year-old male from his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victory and a top-tier winner at both 3 and 4, maintained his position to finish third, a significant 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Journalism, the highest-performing 3-year-old of 2025.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher pointed out that Fierceness’s inside post complicated matters, with jockey John Velazquez needing to decide whether to accompany Contrary Thinking from the start or gamble on stalking from within. He applauded Fierceness’s career record of 7 wins in 14 starts, describing him as an “exceptional horse.”
“You have a horse that competes in the Breeders’ Cup for three consecutive years, performing admirably each time,” he added.
Fierceness and Sierra Leone are scheduled to join the stallion roster at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky next year. A decision on whether Journalism will commence his stud duties there next year or in 2027 will be determined after the Breeders’ Cup.
Forever Young’s owner, Susumu Fujita, expressed that winning the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic was “my aspiration.” The colt had experienced two difficult defeats in starts in the United States, finishing 2 ¾ lengths behind in third place in the 2024 Classic and by narrow margins behind Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone in a closely contested three-horse photo finish in the Kentucky Derby last year.
“Also, Fierceness and Sierra Leone are retiring,” he said in translated comments. “So, this was our final opportunity to compete against these two together.”
Following the top four, Mindframe, Baeza, Nevada Beach, Antiquarian, and Contrary Thinking concluded the order of finish. With the exception of Contrary Thinking, each horse had secured a Grade 1 victory in 2025.
With just one race in North America this year, Forever Young may not have garnered sufficient recognition to surpass Godolphin’s Sovereignty for Horse of the Year. That colt has been favored in polls since the summer in votes by national media, reflecting some Eclipse Award voters. Voting in the Eclipse Awards is conducted by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, and Daily Racing Form. The Horse of the Year and other honors will be presented at a ceremony in South Florida on Jan. 22, 2026.
If Sovereignty continues racing next year, their paths could converge. Winning trainer Yoshito Yahagi indicated that Forever Young would race as a 5-year-old, with a planned return to the Saudi Cup next February. The Dubai World Cup would be considered afterward.
Godolphin’s founder, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, governs Dubai and established the Dubai World Cup.
Next fall, the Breeders’ Cup will be held at Keeneland.
When asked about Forever Young at Keeneland, Yahagi – a three-time Breeders’ Cup-winning trainer from four starts – jokingly remarked, “Keeneland experiences very cold weather. I need to consider that.”
While colder than Southern California, it’s unlikely to be cold enough to deter him at the Breeders’ Cup.
