Forever Young

DEL MAR, USA -- As the World Series continues its three-game run in Los Angeles, at Dodger Stadium it's all about Japanese baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani. Head a little farther down the Californian coast to Del Mar and the Thoroughbred World Championships, aka the Breeders' Cup, features plenty of Japanese participation of its own. American racing could hardly ask for more than to have the first three home from the last two Kentucky Derbys in action at Del Mar. Sovereignty's fever scare could yet throw a spanner into the works...

Godolphin's GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), looking to cap an historic sophomore campaign, drew post six and was promptly installed the 6-5 favorite for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. "No complaints about that," trainer Bill Mott told Brittney Eurton at the post position draw held Monday afternoon in the Del Mar paddock. "There is some speed inside and it gives him a good opportunity to see what is unfolding in the race." Since his win in the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty has added victories in the...

A total of 207 pre-entries from around the globe--including some 58 from overseas-based gallopers--was announced Wednesday afternoon for the 14 races comprising the 42nd running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic is the richest of the weekend's contests at $7 million and has attracted 11 pre-entries, headed by Godolphin's dual Classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), who will look to make the...

Making his first start since finishing a disappointing third as the heavy favorite in the G1 Dubai World Cup back on Apr. 5, Susumu Fujita's Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) made a victorious return to action in Wednesday's Listed Nippon TV Hai (1800m) at Funabashi Racecourse, setting him up for a second consecutive appearance in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in a bit more than four weeks' time. He was third to his close relation 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the 2024 renewal....

After his success in the G1 Juddmonte International Stakes, Godolphin's Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) is now on top of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR). His mark of 128 is one point better than GI Travers Stakes hero Sovereignty (Into Mischief), who is tied for second with G1 Saudi Cup winner Forever Young (Real Steel) and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas/G1 St James's Palace Stakes scorer Field Of Gold (Kingman). G1 Irish Champion Stakes entrant and G1 Coral-Eclipse hero Delacroix (Dubawi) was second at York and is rated at 126....

Former WinStar stallion Congrats (A.P. Indy--Praise, by Mr. Prospector) passed away Monday at the age of 25. The news was confirmed by Scott Kintz who heads Six K's Training & Sales at Florida's Woodford Thoroughbreds where the pensioned stallion retired in 2021. A GSW/MGISP son of A.P. Indy, Congrats won the 2005 GII San Pasqual Handicap and earned placings in the GI Santa Anita Handicap and the GI Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap while also finishing fifth behind Roses In May (Devil His Due) in the 2005 G1 Emirates Airline Dubai...

Field Of Gold (Kingman) and Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) have joined Forever Young (Real Steel) at the top of the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2025, after producing blockbuster performances to win at Royal Ascot. Juddmonte's Field Of Gold won the G1 St James's Palace Stakes by three and a half lengths, while stablemate Ombudsman ran out a decisive winner of the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes, by two lengths from last year's G1 Champion Stakes winner Anmaat (Awtaad) [123]. Both horses are now rated 127, matching the figure...

Hong Kong's star sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) has moved up the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings to sit in a joint second at 126, after the latest round of rankings were released on Thursday. Now a winner of 12-straight after his victory in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, he shares that mark with fellow Hong Kong wunderkind Romantic Warrior (Acclamation). Japan's Forever Young (Real Steel) remains the leader at 127. After the first Classics of the season, G1 2000 Guineas hero Ruling Court (Justify) is among the top 10...

Around this time last week, Case Clay, U.S. racing manager to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's Wathnan Racing, was trackside at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, closely monitoring the operation's two Thoroughbred entries for the Dubai World Cup meeting--Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the main event and Flood Zone (Frosted) for the G2 UAE Derby. Clay hot-footed it to the airport after the races to board a Sydney-bound A380 for the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and spent a few days there before heading back to...

Darling My Darling (Deputy Minister) was humanely euthanized at Fawn Leap Farm outside Midway, Kentucky Monday, according to Debby Oxley, who phoned the TDN with the news. In a remarkable achievement in last year's Kentucky Derby, Darling My Darling was the granddam of both the second- and third-place finishers, Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}). The pair ran first and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic last fall. "She's 28 years old and she is brought in every night and on Monday morning, they...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- In most circles, Saturday's G1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline was but a foregone conclusion. The star of the show was widely expected to be Japan's Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), a pair of placed efforts in America the only thing separating the colt and a perfect record. A brilliant winner of the G1 Saudi Cup about 600 miles of desert away six weeks ago, Forever Young surely had his World Cup rivals over a barrel. Any one of them would need...

DUBAI, UAE--Ace Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi has laid down a pretty frightening gauntlet to his Dubai World Cup rivals by revealing that Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) could have even more improvement up his sleeve following his epic Saudi Cup triumph over Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) last month.  With the Hong Kong superstar being aimed at the Dubai Turf, Forever Young is set to go off odds-on for Saturday's showpiece event. And while the Breeders' Cup was put forward as the ultimate long-term aim for Forever Young, Yahagi...