On January 6th, Forever Young, the current Breeders’ Cup Classic champion, made history as the first dirt horse to be named the 2025 Japan Racing Association (JRA) Horse of the Year. Owned by Susumu Fujita, son of Real Steel, Forever Young also earned honors as Champion Older Stallion and Dirt Horse, according to net cava.
Trainer Yoshito Yahagi became only the second individual to receive this prestigious award without competing in a JRA race during the season, a feat previously achieved by El Condor Pasa in 1999, net cava noted.
Forever Young began his four-year-old campaign with a thrilling victory over Romantic Warrior in the Saudi Cup in February. He then secured a third-place finish in the G1 Dubai World Cup before taking a summer break.
The horse also captured the 2025 NAR G2 Nippon Television Cup, the only Japanese race he entered that year. He concluded the season by narrowly defeating his familiar American rival Sierra Leone by half a length in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Following the victory, Yahagi expressed pride to NBC, saying, “We got No. 1 in America.”
Forever Young is set to start his five-year-old season in the Saudi Cup, where he is aiming to achieve his first consecutive win in the $20 million event.
For additional details, visit en.netkeiba.com.
(This article was originally published by Paulick Report on January 6, 2026, and first appeared in the News section. Readers can choose Paulick Report as their preferred news source.)
Fan Take: Forever Young’s groundbreaking achievements signify a thrilling evolution in international dirt racing, showcasing the rising caliber of Japanese horses on the global stage. For horse racing enthusiasts, this sets a promising precedent for more international competition and talent exchange, potentially elevating the sport’s excitement and reach worldwide.
