Japan’s Forever Young punches Kentucky Derby ticket in UAE Derby

Mar 30, 2024 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Undefeated Japanese colt Forever Young justified odds-on favoritism in Saturday’s $1 million UAE Derby (G2), securing a spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1) with his 100-point victory at Meydan. Susumu Fujita’s exciting runner will bring a perfect 5-for-5 record to Churchill Downs for master trainer Yoshito Yahagi.

The win came at an especially tough time for Yahagi, who just lost his father earlier on Saturday.

“My teacher, mentor, and father passed away this morning, and I want to dedicate this win to him,” Yahagi said.

Despite being parked out wide throughout from post 11, Forever Young traveled much more smoothly than he had in his last-gasp score in the Saudi Derby (G3). The step up to about 1 3/16 miles, around two turns, helped him settle into a more comfortable stalking rhythm than the Saudi Derby’s one-turn metric mile.

The other key difference was a better start, and perhaps the addition of headgear assisted his early concentration as well. Regular rider Ryusei Sakai hustled him from the gate to ensure that he didn’t drop back. Forever Young responded well and put himself in good striking range of the leaders, the Argentine-bred stablemates Oasis Boy and Auto Bahn from the Julio Olascoaga yard.

Auto Bahn took over from the weakening Oasis Boy turning for home, but Forever Young was already looming to challenge. Gathering momentum as he engaged his rival in the lane, Forever Young drove two lengths clear in a final time of 1:57.89. The 1-2 favorite paid $3.20 stateside.

Finishing a clear second was Auto Bahn, who is not eligible for Derby points as a Southern Hemisphere import technically four years old on Northern Hemisphere time. The lone U.S. shipper, Pandagate, stayed on for third, and the Christophe Clement-trained son of Arrogate earned 25 points.

Mendelssohn Bay, by 2018 UAE Derby record-setter Mendelssohn, picked up 15 points in fourth, and Aidan O’Brien’s Navy Seal churned on for fifth (10 points). Next came Ballon d’Or, Rock Walk, Guns and Glory, Oasis Boy, George Tesoro, and O’Brien’s better-fancied Henry Adams, who was eased after failing to handle the dirt. Killer Collect and Satono Phoenix were scratched.

Forever Young was bred in Japan by Northern Farm. From the male line of 1989 Kentucky Derby and Preakness (G1)-winning Hall of Famer Sunday Silence, Forever Young is by the Deep Impact stallion Real Steel. The bay is out of Grade 2 heroine Forever Darling, a half-sister to the dam (mother) of Risen Star (G2) winner and early Derby favorite Sierra Leone.