Forever Young Headlines Team Japan's 20-Strong Contingent Targeting Saudi Cup

Forever Young arrived in Riyadh as the clear flag bearer for Japan’s international assault on Saudi Cup week. "Team Japan (roughly 20 selected runners) arrived safely in Riyadh Feb. 5," BloodHorse reported, and the spotlight immediately fell on the 5-year-old champion trained by Yoshito Yahagi.

Forever Young’s prep landed attention before the flight. "Forever Young, the flag bearer of the team and reigning Saudi Cup (G1) victor, breezed 6 furlongs in 1:17 3/5 over the woodchip course at Ritto Training Center Feb. 3 before shipping to Riyadh," BloodHorse and TrueNicks recorded. The horse’s resume is formidable: a 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner at Del Mar and, on Jan. 22, honored as 2025 Eclipse champion older dirt male, a distinction BloodHorse noted made him only the second Japanese-based horse to receive an Eclipse award. America’s Best Racing framed the assignment bluntly: "Forever Young seeks to become the first dual winner of the Saudi Cup after chasing down Hong Kong-based Romantic Warrior in the dramatic ending of the 2025 edition."

Japan’s contingent is not limited to a single star. America’s Best Racing expects Luxor Cafe, who finished 12th in the 2025 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, and Sunrise Zipangu to travel with Forever Young: "He is expected to be joined from the Japanese squad by Luxor Cafe... and Sunrise Zipangu." The Saudi Cup itself carries high-stakes incentives; America’s Best Racing noted that "The Saudi Cup offers a ‘Win and You’re In’ berth to this year’s Longines Classic set for Oct. 31 at Keeneland."

Beyond the headline act, Japan entered five 3-year-olds in the $1.5 million Saudi Derby on the Feb. 14 undercard. "Japan will be represented by five runners in the Saudi Derby (G3), a newly added points-bearing race on the European/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1)," BloodHorse reported. The quintet includes Best Green (trainer Junji Tanaka), who finished third in the Zen Nippon Nisai Yushun on Dec. 17 after a four-race win streak; Satono Voyage (an Into Mischief colt) fresh off three straight wins including the Cattleya Stakes; Tokai Ma Cherie (trainer Daisuke Takayanagi), last racing Nov. 27 when she took the Hyogo Junior Grand Prix at Sonoda; Wonder Dean (Takayanagi), second in two stakes most recently on Dec. 20 at Hanshin; and Keiai Agito (trainer Yukihiro Kato), with two wins from three starts.

The Saudi Derby’s upgrade to the Euro/Mideast Road gives the winner 20 Kentucky Derby points, and America’s Best Racing warned that "The series winner, however, almost certainly will be determined in the UAE Derby March 28 in Dubai." The undercard will draw a deep international cast: My World, Obliteration, Acknowledgemeplz and Very Connected figure among expected American challengers, while Al Haram looms after "winning the Saudi Two Thousand Guineas by more than seven lengths."

Strategically, America’s Best Racing highlighted a shifting approach from Japan’s 3-year-olds: "Satono Voyage... The two currently stand third and fourth on Japan’s leaderboard but, as Forever Young did two years past, they abandon that four-race series in favor of a desert path to Louisville, Ky." That maneuver signals growing confidence in shipping, training and campaign planning that link Japanese stables more closely to global prize money and breeding value.

One passage in America’s Best Racing that attributes a 2024 win to Forever Young over Book’em Danno appears to conflict with other timelines and should be checked against official meet records. Still, the broader picture is clear: Japanese connections are committing resources and top bloodstock to international targets, leveraging high-profile wins and an Eclipse award to raise Japan’s profile on dirt. For fans and industry watchers, Saudi Cup week and the Feb. 14 Saudi Derby offer a live barometer of where Japanese racing stands on the world stage, and which horses will press onward toward the UAE Derby and the Kentucky Derby chase.