2025 News
Saudi Cup day - Forever Young reigns supreme at Riyadh
Japan team reaps four wins, two seconds and two thirds on day of gold and glory
On Saturday, Feb. 22, a massive team of 18 horses from Japan took on all six of the featured races in Riyadh. And, though the first two races contested got away, the next four fell to Japan in an all-out sweep, including the main event, the 1,800-meter Grade 1 Saudi Cup on dirt.
The headliner, with its $20-million purse, turned into a screamer and will be remembered as one of the most epic duels in racing history. It saw Japan’s dirt specialist Forever Young run down Hong Kong’s legendary Romantic Warrior (racing for his first time on dirt) until he caught him in the shadow of the finish post to win by a neck, landing Forever Young his first overseas top-level competition and laying claim to the first-place prize of 10 million dollars U.S. (over 1.5 billion yen).
Breaking from the far outside gate under Ryusei Sakai amid a field of 14, the Real Steel-sired Forever Young neatly crossed over to race with the leaders while James McDonald eased Romantic Warrior from the No. 3 gate with only enough encouragement to get him ahead of the kickback.
Sakai held Forever Young two wide just ahead of the ten-time G1 champion, tracking steadily and showing no distaste for his first run on dirt. It was something that had worried Forever Young’s trainer Yoshito Yahagi. “I was concerned,” he admitted. “I didn’t know how much he’d show on the dirt.”
Turning wide into the turn, Romantic Warrior suddenly made his move, stepping swiftly into the lead. And, from there, he and Forever Young “locked horns,” as the pair turned the race into a two-horse duel to the end.
From 200 meters out, Romantic Warrior moved to the inside, Forever Young looking to struggle for advantage as Sakai switched to the outside. But, at the 100-meter mark, it was evident the 4-year-old colt was starting to close, his gain becoming ever stronger, steadier, ever more relentless.
Forever Young passed Romantic Warrior a mere handful of strides before the finish post.
It was Forever Young’s first race in 2 months. His time of 1 minute 49.09 seconds was the fastest yet recorded in the event. And, it was 10 1/2 lengths to the next horse crossing the line.
Last year’s runnerup Ushba Tesoro (ridden by Akira Sugawara) finished in third place, with Japan’s Wilson Tesoro (Yuga Kawada up) in fourth place. Japan’s final runner home was Ramjet (Kosei Miura riding), who just missed the board in sixth place.
It was the second win of the Saudi Cup for trainer Yoshito Yahagi, whose Lord Kanaloa-sired 6-year-old Panthalassa took honors in 2023. The Saudi Cup was Yahagi’s ninth top-level win overseas, and the first repeat win of the Saudi Cup by any trainer.
“I could only keep believing in him down the stretch,” said Yahagi of Forever Young. “And I was thinking that if he could manage to overtake Romantic Warrior it would be more spectacular than any movie.
“Forever Young is a very versatile horse so I hadn’t given the rider any particular instructions,” Yahagi added. “I now know for certain that this is the best horse I’ve ever worked with and I’m even surprised to realize how happy I am to have won, even though it’s for the second time.”
Yahagi’s unbridled passion for success was evident even before the dust had settled on his big win. Looking ahead to Dubai, he commented. “No one has ever gone from a win of the Saudi Cup to a win of the World Cup, and that’s something I’d like to achieve.”
The big win in Saudi Arabia was the first top-level victory overseas for both rider Ryusei Sakai and owner Susumu Fujita. “Above all, I’m just so grateful,” said the 27-year-old Tokyo-born Sakai. “I wasn’t able to get any good results last year in the United States but the owner continued to let me ride and for that I am eternally grateful to him and to all those connected with the horse.
“I rode with confidence and though I didn’t have any particular plan in mind, I had hoped I’d been racing out ahead of Romantic Warrior. But thinking about it now, I realize that what we had was the ideal race.
“Forever Young is still only 4 years old and I think he still has a lot to give. I would very much like to see myself mature and grow even more as a rider and be able to win the Dubai World Cup.”
At Saudi Arabia racing’s 10-percent jockey’s share, Sakai’s three rides Saturday (two wins and a fourth-place finish) earned him $11.27 million (nearly 1.69 billion yen).
For owner Susumu Fujita, the CEO and president of CyberAgent, Inc., the bounty was boosted by two of his other runners racing at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. His Shin Emperor clinched the Grade 2 Neom Turf Cup (2,100 meters), and Shin Forever finished second in the Grade 3 mile-long Saudi Derby (won last year by Forever Young), bringing the combined earnings for the 51-year-old Fujita from three races to $11.5 million (over 1.73 billion yen)
With the win of the Saudi Cup, Forever Young also earned himself an invitation to this year’s Breeders Cup Classic, to be held at Del Mar Racecourse at the end of October.
Both Forever Young and Romantic Warrior are next aimed at the Dubai World Cup Day on April 5. Forever Young is to participate in the day’s main event, the 2,000-meter Grade 1 Dubai World Cup, with Romantic Warrior set to return to the turf in the 1,800-meter Grade 1 Dubai Turf.
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In addition to the wins by Fujita’s horses, were first-place finishes by Japanese-owned Ascoli Piceno in the 1351 Turf Sprint and Byzantine Dream, the only runner from Japan in the Red Sea Turf Handicap, both G2 events.
in other results, Mistress finished fourth of nine runners in the Grade 3 1,600-meter dirt Saudi Derby (won by the U.S.-based Golden Vekoma), with Myriad Love finishing seventh under Atsuya Nishimura.
The Grade 2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint was won by the U.S.-based Straight No Chaser. Japan’s Gabby’s Sister finished third of 12 under Christophe Lemaire, Remake finished in seventh place under Yuga Kawada, and Jasper Krone (Taisei Danno up) and Chikappa (Yutaka Take up) were ninth and 10th, respectively. NAR’s Igniter finished 11th.
Placing behind winner Shin Emperor in the Neom Turf Cup was Killer Ability, piloted by Oisin Murphy and finishing last of 10 runners.
The 1351 Turf Sprint saw a one-two finish by Japanese runners Ascoli Piceno under Lemaire and Win Marvel, with Kohei Matsuyama up. Of the 4-year-old filly by Daiwa Major, Lemaire said, “Her start was magnificent and she got the perfect position on the inside just behind Win Marvel. Calm and collected under way, she picked up speed in the stretch. I think she gave it everything she had to give.”
The 7-year-old mare Ten Happy Rose, partnered with Akihide Tsumura, finished seventh of 13th runners.
Byzantine Dream, a son of Epiphaneia, ruled the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap partnered with Oisin Murphy. “He broke without any problem and though I had expected the pace to be fast, it was faster than I’d imagined,” Murphy admitted. “But, he has excellent early speed and when we passed the finish line on the first lap around, I thought if I can just do what I need to do he will win this.”
“He was fantastic!” said trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi of his charge. “I thought the conditions suited him, so my expectations were sky-high. He’d traveled to Saudi Arabia well and his training had gone well. I think he was right at his peak.
“I’m extremely happy that the Japanese horses were able to get such good results as a team.”
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In other racing at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, 22-year-old JRA jockey Manami Nagashima participated in the International Jockeys’ Challenge on Friday, Feb. 21. Having landed her first graded-race victory last June (with Alice Verite in the G3 Mermaid Stakes at Kyoto last June), Nagashima was invited to join this year’s star-studded lineup of seven male and seven female riders. Among them were John Velazquez, Christophe Soumillon, Hollie Doyle, Oisin Murphy, Radhg O’Shea and Rachel King.
In the Riyadh jockey championship, points were allotted for each of the four races (two dirt and two turf) and the top prize went to Muhammad Aldaham, who had only two mounts and won aboard both, became the first local rider to win the event.
Nagashima, unfortunately, scored a ninth, 12th, seventh and 10th place aboard her four mounts and finished 11th in the overall competition. However, she did not go home empty-handed.
“I think this has been a priceless experience for me. And, I will make efforts to gain more experience overseas. I plan to make the most of the things I’ve learned here (in Saudi Arabia) and work even harder when back in Japan.”
For details, please see the official results; Feb 21 , Feb. 22
Visit the following websites for more information:
Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Cup
