Forever Young held off Sierra Leone to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1 at Del Mar, giving Japan its first win in the 42-year history of the race. (Eclipse Sportswire)
But in winning the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1 at Del Mar, a race Sovereignty was withdrawn from due to illness, Japan’s Forever Young showed he is a horse of the world, illustrating globe-trotting talents by outrunning Sierra Leone and Fierceness – the two rivals who had beaten him a year earlier on the same racetrack in the Classic.
His half-length triumph over runner-up Sierra Leone on Saturday gave Forever Young a second high-value Grade/Group 1 this year following his gritty score in the $20 million Saudi Cup in late February. He also ran third in the April 5 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline and won the Oct. 1 Nippon TV Hai in his native Japan in two other races this year.
Forever Young’s victory set off a raucous celebration from Japanese attendees at Del Mar, both in the stands and those connected with the horse as they awaited Forever Young to return to the winner’s circle after the race. Some of those affiliated with Forever Young were in tears in witnessing the first Japanese-trained horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the race’s 42-year history.
Forever Young’s regular rider, Ryusei Sakai, worked out a favorable trip aboard Forever Young, placing him in second for more than the first half of the race, as Sierra Leone’s stablemate, the overmatched pacemaker Contrary Thinking, shot to the lead to his inside. The pace was honest – what Sierra Leone’s and Contrary Thinking’s trainer Chad Brown said he wanted in the race – but not as fast as last year in a race without a dedicated pacemaker, known in horse racing as a “rabbit,” in the field.
When Contrary Thinking threw in the towel on the second turn, Forever Young became the new leader. Mindframe and Journalism, who had stalked the pace, then offered bids at that stage, but their rallies would stall through the stretch. Instead, it was Fierceness and Sierra Leone who would threaten down the stretch, with the former securing running room after being pocketed in a tracking position on the inside for much of the, and the latter swooping wide in contention.
Neither could get past Forever Young in the stretch. The latter, in front by 1 ½ lengths with a furlong remaining, outlasted Sierra Leone’s closing punch. He finished in a final time of 2:00.19 on a fast track, bettering Sierra Leone’s winning time of 2:00.78 in the 2024 race. His Classic time was the fastest since Flightline sped 1 ¼ miles in 2:00.05 at Keeneland three years ago.
Sakai credited Forever Young’s conditioning, “so automatically the horse took me there,” he said in comments translated from Japanese by Hiroshi Ando, racing manager for trainer Yoshito Yahagi.
Sakai celebrates a signature win. (Eclipse Sportswire)
Flavien Prat, aboard Sierra Leone, said, “I thought I was going to get there and the winner just didn’t stop.”
Chad Brown felt the main-track conditions at Del Mar on Saturday were favorable to speed horses, a disadvantage for a late runner such as Sierra Leone.
“I’m so proud of my horse’s effort. So courageous to run against the bias and nearly get there,” Brown said. “Listen, him and Forever Young are closely related and they’ve had a wonderful rivalry from the Derby on, and today it was Forever Young’s day to find the winner’s circle and hats off to them.”
Fierceness, the champion 2-year-old male of 2023 during his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile-winning season and a top-level winner at 3 and 4, fought on to show, 2 ¼ lengths head of fourth-place Journalism, the top-performing 3-year-old of 2025.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher noted that Fierceness’ inside draw placed him in a “difficult position,” with jockey John Velazquez having to decide whether to commit to going with Contrary Thinking early or take his chances stalking inside on Fierceness. He praised the 7-for-14 career of Fierceness, calling him a “brilliant horse.”
“You have a horse that shows up in the Breeders’ Cup three years in a row, runs really well all three times,” he added.
Fierceness and Sierra Leone will join the stallion lineup at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky next year. A decision on whether Journalism goes to stud there next year or in 2027 will be made after the Breeders’ Cup.
Forever Young’s owner, Susumu Fujita, called it “my dream” to win the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic. The colt had experienced two tough losses in a pair of starts in the United States, losing by 2 ¾ lengths when third in the 2024 Classic and by two noses behind Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone in a three-horse photo finish in a roughly contested Kentucky Derby last year.
“Also, Fierceness and Sierra Leone will be retired,” he said in translated remarks. “So this (was) the last chance against these two guys together.”
After the top four, Mindframe, slow-starting Baeza, Nevada Beach, Antiquarian, and Contrary Thinking completed the order of finish. Every horse but Contrary Thinking was a Grade 1 winner in 2025.
With just a single race in North America this year, Forever Young may not have done enough to outpoll Godolphin’s Sovereignty for Horse of the Year. That colt has led polls since the summer in voting by national media, reflecting the views of 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. Horse of the Year and other prizes will be announced in a ceremony in South Florida on Jan. 22, 2026.
If Sovereignty races next year, their paths could cross. Winning trainer Yoshito Yahagi said Forever Young would race next year as a 5-year-old, with a return appearance in the Saudi Cup planned this upcoming February. The Dubai World Cup would be considered afterward.
Godolphin’s founder, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, is the ruler of Dubai and the creator of the Dubai World Cup.
Next fall, the Breeders’ Cup will be contested at Keeneland.
Asked if Forever Young, Yahagi – now a three-time Breeders’ Cup-winning trainer from four starts – said, seemingly in jest, “Keeneland has really chilly weather. So let me think about that.”
Chiller than Southern California, but likely not cold enough to cool him off at the Breeders’ Cup.
2025 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic November 1st, 2025
