Forever Young Powers to Impressive Jockey Club Gold Cup Victory at Belmont Park
Mdmar – New York
Japanese superstar Forever Young added another major international success to his remarkable career with a commanding victory in the 108th running of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at the newly reopened Belmont Park on Friday, September 18, 2026.
The five-year-old son of Real Steel, owned by Susumu Fujita and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, scored by an authoritative 3¼ lengths under his regular jockey Ryusei Sakai.
The victory came in Forever Young’s first start since finishing a one-length runner-up in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan in March and marked an impressive return following a layoff of almost six months.
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Following three scratches, only four horses lined up for the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Phileas Fogg went forward to establish the early pace, covering the opening quarter-mile in 25.04 seconds and the half-mile in 48.34 seconds.
Sakai kept Forever Young within striking distance before gradually moving closer down the backstretch. After three-quarters had been completed in 1:11.96, the Japanese champion advanced outside the leader approaching the final turn.
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Once Sakai asked him to accelerate, Forever Young quickly took command. He reached the mile in 1:36.03 before powering clear through the stretch and completing the 1¼-mile contest in 2:01.23.
Stars and Stripes finished second, while Baeza came home third and Phileas Fogg was fourth.
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The victory also secured Forever Young an automatic berth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on October 31, where he is expected to defend the title he captured in 2025.
The Belmont success improved Forever Young’s career record to an outstanding 12 wins from 16 starts, with one second and three third-place finishes. The $555,000 winner’s share increased his career earnings to more than $32.3 million.
It was also his fifth top-level Group/Grade 1 victory, adding to an international résumé that includes consecutive victories in the 2025 and 2026 Saudi Cups, as well as major successes in Japan and the United States.
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Forever Young is the reigning Japanese Horse of the Year and an Eclipse Award-winning Champion Older Dirt Male, further underlining his position among the most accomplished international dirt horses of his generation.
Sakai, who has ridden Forever Young in all 16 of his career starts across 10 racetracks in four countries, said the relatively slow pace was not ideal as preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Classic but praised the horse’s response when asked to quicken in the stretch.
Trainer Yoshito Yahagi, meanwhile, indicated that Forever Young is still building toward peak condition. He estimated the horse to be around 80 percent fit and expects further improvement before the Breeders’ Cup.
Forever Young is scheduled to remain at Belmont Park to continue his preparation before travelling to Keeneland on October 20 for the final stage of his Breeders’ Cup campaign.
For Yahagi, who has trained numerous international champions, Forever Young remains unique. After the victory, he described him as a horse he does not expect to encounter again during his lifetime or training career.
Forever Young’s next target is now clear: Keeneland and another attempt at Breeders’ Cup Classic glory.
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The “Mdmar” website which was Founded by Khaled Makhlouf in 2007 for horse and equestrian races is keen to cover and follow all competitions related to horses, from show jumping, Horseracing, speed and endurance races, and purebred Arabian horse beauty shows, which belong to the Arab Gulf countries at home and abroad in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
