By Emma Berry
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Darkness had long fallen over Riyadh but one star lit up the night sky as Forever Young (Real Steel) galloped into the history books as the first dual winner of the $20m G1 Saudi Cup.
Last year he was forced to stalk Romantic Warrior all along the stretch for glory, but this time the tables were turned, with Nysos (Nyquist) locking sights on his prey in a determined effort to give Bob Baffert a longed-for victory in the world's richest race.
Instead it once more went the way of Yoshito Yahagi, who proclaimed after the race, “I love Saudi and my horses love Saudi.”
It's no wonder, as Yahagi is the winningmost trainer in the history of the meeting, with seven victories to his name in Riyadh, including, crucially, three Saudi Cup wins in only seven runnings.
Simply, Forever Young made his mission look easy. He broke sharply, tucked in behind the leaders, slotted through a gap on the rail turning for home and ground his way back along that straight he has come to know so well. The perfect racehorse, he is Japan's Horse of the year, an Eclipse Award winner and, increasingly, everybody's darling.
Earlier in the week, Baffert had promised that it would be “King Kong versus Godzilla” and both horses played their parts to perfection. The lofty reputation of the valiant Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos was far from dented by going down so narrowly to this warrior of a winner, but of course, for Baffert, a third runner-up in the Saudi Cup was the last thing he wanted.
“This race is almost like the Kentucky Derby because unless you win, second isn't that exciting,” he said. “The good thing, though, is that Nysos showed up. Forever Young is just so good.”
Indeed he is and Yahagi, for his part, was reluctant to take any credit.
“I had a lot of pressure on me before the race as he was the best in the field. I think it's not my training that makes him this great horse, I think the horse is just made like a champion and I have little to do with it.”
Ryusei Sakai, who learned his craft in Yahagi's stable from his apprentice days onwards, has been aboard Forever Young for every one of his victories and is so sure of his bond with the horse that he “had no worries”.
“I trust this horse so much,” he added. “There was no pressure, this is my job, the same every time. I'm very proud of him and I want to thank everyone who supported all the team.”
For everyone who does support Forever Young, a glimmer of hope that he may not retire at the end of this year as planned was given by his owner Susumu Fujita, who had arrived in Saudi just hours before the race and left soon afterwards but naturally enjoyed his short and highly lucrative day trip. He said, “I enjoyed this so much that I am already starting to think about next year's Saudi Cup.”
Ominously, Yahagi added that he thinks Forever Young is still improving, and if the team surrounding the horse needs any extra evidence of the regard in which he is held, beyond the rapturous reception given as he returned victorious, it may have come from the journalist with a special request from a young fan in Peru who asked that Sakai sign a photo of the horse for him. The world traveller has gained a worldwide following.
Next stop, logically, is Meydan, to try to dispel the frustrations of last year's third-place finish behind Hit Show and Mixto.
“Of course our next target is the Dubai World Cup, so that is what we have to concentrate on now. And then, well I have no idea,” Yahagi said. “Last year, it didn't work out in the Dubai World Cup, he just wasn't good enough. We will try our best to win it this year.”
With Nysos battling all the way for second, Wathnan Racing's Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance) posted another impressive effort in top company when taking third under James Doyle.
Racing manager Case Clay said of the six-year-old, “It was a big result for us. We're proud of the horse. He came over here and stepped up in trip in the Al Maktoum Challenge and finished second and finished strong there. He was suited to the track well here.”
Pedigree Notes
Forever Young, a ¥98,000,000 JRHA July yearling, is one of six graded/group winners for Real Steel. Winner of the 2016 GII Santa Ynez S., Forever Darling is also the dam of G3 Artemis S. heroine Brown Ratchet (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}); the three-year-old filly Darlinghurst (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) who won in Japan on Saturday; and a juvenile colt by Rey de Oro (Jpn), who was bought by Forever Young's owner for ¥330,000,000 ($2,241,865) at the 2025 JRHA Select Sale. Forever Young's second dam is the multiple stakes winner and multiple Grade-I placed Darling My Darling (Deputy Minister). She is responsible for 2017 GI Darley Alcibiades S. victress Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon), the dam of Sierra Leone.
Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
SAUDI CUP-G1, $20,000,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-14, 4yo/up, 1800m, 1:51.03, ft.
1–FOREVER YOUNG (JPN), 126, h, 5, by Real Steel (Jpn)
1st Dam: Forever Darling (GSW-US, $217,545), by Congrats
2nd Dam: Darling My Darling, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Roamin Rachel, by Mining
(¥98,000,000 Ylg '22 JRHAJUL). O-Susumu Fujita; B-Northern Racing; T-Yoshito Yahagi; J-Ryusei Sakai; $10,000,000. Lifetime Record: Horse of the Year & G1SW-Jpn, Ch. Older Dirt Male & GISW-US, GSW & G1SP-UAE, 14-11-0-3, $29,358,590. *1/2 to Brown Ratchet (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}), GSW-Jpn, $239,613. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Nysos, 126, h, 5, Nyquist–Zetta Z, by Bernardini. ($130,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $150,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $550,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard. O-Baoma Corp; B-Susie Atkins (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat; $3,500,000.
3–Tumbarumba, 126, g, 6, Oscar Performance–Naive Enough, by Street Sense. ($30,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT). O-Wathnan Racing; B-Coteau Grove Farms LLC (LA); T-Hamad Al Jehani; J-James Doyle; $2,000,000.
Margins: 1, 3 3/4, 1.
Also Ran: Bishops Bay, Luxor Cafe, Sunrise Zipangu (Jpn), Mhally (GB), Banishing, Rattle N Roll, Ameerat Alzamaan (GB), Thundersquall (GB), Nevada Beach, Haqeet. Scratched: Star of Wonder. Click for the JCSA chart (R9).
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