The day a Japanese horse won America's biggest dirt race
How Forever Young conquered American dirt
日本馬がアメリカのダート頂点に立った日 フォーエバーヤングのBCクラシック
この記事の重要単語
colt牡馬（4歳以下のオス）。メスは filly。
jockeyレースで馬に乗る人。
trainer調教師。馬を預かって鍛え、レースに出す責任者。
dirtダート（砂や土のコース）。アメリカの主流。
furlong約201m。8ファーロング＝1マイル。
点線は一般的な単語、色付きの線は競馬の専門用語です。タップすると意味が出ます。
Every autumn, the best racehorses in America meet at the Breeders' Cup. The biggest race of the event is the Breeders' Cup Classic. It is run on dirt, not turf.
Forever Young, a colt from Japan, came close in 2024. In May, he ran in the Kentucky Derby. The top 3 horses crossed the line almost together, and he finished third. In November, he was third in the Classic, too.
One year later, in November 2025, he ran in the Classic again at Del Mar in California. This time, he won. His jockey was Ryusei Sakai, and his trainer was Yoshito Yahagi.
The Classic is 10 furlongs long, about 2,000 meters. Forever Young became the first horse trained in Japan to win it. He showed that Japanese horses can win the biggest races on American dirt.
Every autumn, the Breeders' Cup brings together the best thoroughbreds in North America for two days of championship racing. Its centerpiece is the Breeders' Cup Classic, run over 10 furlongs (about 2,000 meters) on dirt. It is often seen as the most important race of the American season.
Japanese horses had won Breeders' Cup races before, but the Classic had long seemed out of reach. American dirt horses are bred and trained for the surface, and the pace of US dirt races is famously fast from the start.
Forever Young came agonizingly close in 2024. In the Kentucky Derby that May, he was part of a three-horse photo finish and was beaten by the narrowest of margins into third. Six months later, he finished third in the Classic at Del Mar behind Sierra Leone and Fierceness.
He returned to Del Mar a year later as a four-year-old colt. On November 1, 2025, ridden by jockey Ryusei Sakai, he beat Sierra Leone by half a length. He became the first Japanese-trained winner of the Classic, a landmark for his trainer, Yoshito Yahagi.
The win was no fluke. Earlier in 2025, Forever Young had also won the Saudi Cup. For Japanese racing, the result carries a clear message: with the right preparation, its horses can compete with, and beat, the best on American dirt.