Forever Young brings star power to Jockey Club Gold Cup at new Belmont Park

Sep 14, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Forever Young trains at Belmont Park ahead of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) (Photo by Dom Napolitano/Coglianese Photos)

Friday marks the grand reopening of Belmont Park after a three-year redevelopment, and a global celebrity will add luster to the occasion.

Forever Young, Japan’s all-time great dirt campaigner, tops the field entered in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). The 1 1/4-mile prize serves as the stepping stone to his title defense in the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland.

His six rivals do not include Horse of the Year Sovereignty, who is dealing with a foot abscess. But two of Sovereignty’s stablemates from the Bill Mott barn, Grade 1 winner Baeza and Grade 3 scorer Stars and Stripes, will line up.

Baeza, third in last year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont (G1), was sixth behind Forever Young in the Classic. Most recently fourth to Sovereignty in the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga, Baeza will take the blinkers off in hopes of breaking better.

The early pace is likely to come from Phileas Fogg, a two-time Suburban H. (G2) winner, and Chunk of Gold, a 2025 Kentucky Derby competitor whose signature win came in last season’s West Virginia Derby (G3). Grade/Group 2 veteran Banishing, runner-up in his Charles Town Classic (G2) title defense, is also capable of showing early speed. Rounding out the field is longshot Render Judgment, another alumnus of the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

The statue of 1973 Triple Crown legend Secretariat graces the paddock at the remodeled Belmont Park (Photo by Adam Coglianese/Coglianese Photos)

The Jockey Club Gold Cup is a “Win and You’re In” for the Classic, but Forever Young already secured his free ticket by repeating in the Feb. 14 Saudi Cup (G1). In his only subsequent start, he finished second in the March 28 Dubai World Cup (G1).

Forever Young was echoing the same pattern from his 2025 campaign. Last year, he also prevailed in the $20 million Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race, but regressed a bit when third in the Dubai World Cup.

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi is exploring every possible angle to help Forever Young maintain form in his fall campaign stateside. While he’s arriving in fine fettle for the Jockey Club Gold Cup, he’ll need to peak for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

For the past two years, when the Breeders’ Cup was held at Del Mar, Forever Young prepped in Japan. In 2024, he won the Japan Dirt Classic off a layoff – his first start since his near-miss third in the Kentucky Derby – and went on to place third to Derby rival Sierra Leone in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. In 2025, Forever Young used the Nippon TV Hai as his springboard to Classic glory.

The Breeders’ Cup’s change of venue to Keeneland, in the heart of Bluegrass country, has prompted Yahagi to ship in earlier for a U.S. prep race.

Japan’s Horse of the Year as well as the reigning Eclipse Award champion in the older dirt male division, Forever Young, has again enjoyed a midseason holiday at home following his adventures on the world stage. He has reportedly thrived in his recent training.

Forever Young began to limber up at Northern Farm’s Hayakita training facility before moving to Hakodate Racecourse, also on Hokkaido. The idea was to stay in the pleasant temperatures on the northern island and avoid the worst of the summer heat.

“Heat is his biggest enemy,” Yahagi told en.netkeiba.com in an Aug. 1 report.

At Hakodate, Forever Young’s exercise included his first-ever work on turf Aug. 19. Assistant trainer Yuki Araki believed that was his best option at that venue, where the woodchip track was narrower than preferable, according to tospo-keiba.jp.

フォーエバーヤング初めての芝コース追い切り

ラスト200m10.8🏇 pic.twitter.com/ewpmZuLrp1

— 坂井瑠星 (@_RYUSEI_0531) August 19, 2026

Forever Young showed sparkling acceleration, ripping his final furlong in :10.8 on the turf. Since his sire, Real Steel, was a top-class turf performer, and paternal grandsire Deep Impact was a legend on the surface, it’s logical for Forever Young to take to it himself.

In fact, owner Susumu Fujita has mentioned a possible tilt in Japan’s prestigious year-end turf race, the Arima Kinen (G1). But all depends upon how Forever Young comes through his Classic title defense.

Forever Young shipped to Ritto Training Center and arrived Aug. 23. He continued to ramp up his preparations while signaling his well-being.

In his final work on the Ritto woodchip on Sept. 5, Forever Young covered six furlongs in 1:21.0, but don’t let the leisurely overall time fool you. By design, he conserves energy early and powers late, as revealed in his closing splits – three furlongs in :35.8 and a final furlong in :11.0.

Forever Young flew to New York and settled into Belmont Park Sept. 8. After clearing a 42-hour quarantine, he took a spin around the palatial main track last Thursday morning, Sept. 10.

FOREVER YOUNG gets his first look at the @BelmontPark1905 track ahead of the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup! pic.twitter.com/BrAB6L5NSP

— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) September 10, 2026

His connections have expressed their admiration for the facilities at Belmont Park. Yahagi described it as better than Meydan, raising hopes that Forever Young will move forward from Belmont to Keeneland instead of backward as he did in the Middle East.

“After winning in Saudi Arabia two years in a row, he lost in Dubai six weeks later,” Yahagi told en.netkeiba.com. “There was an issue with the conditioning. It's not just physical; mentally, he can become tired of it…

“The track conditions at Belmont Park are extremely good, and there are various training options available, so I think the environment is better than preparing at Meydan.”

Yahagi and his team have also spoken at length with NYRA publicity regarding Forever Young’s Belmont Park venture.

“He loves America, and he knows it,” said Hiroshi Ando, Fujita’s racing manager.

“He knows how to travel on a long flight. Obviously, he’s good at that, and we are very satisfied with how he got here. Mr. Yahagi and me visited last month to check the track, and we are amazed at the new grandstand and track. It was great conditions, so it is positive for us to come.

“This is amazing,” Ando reiterated about the facilities. “Belmont Park is the best complex for training now in North America. We have a lot of options with main track, training track, Tapeta track, small track.

“Main thing is Forever Young has settled in very well. He's calm now, relaxing. Whenever we want to take him out, it's easy now. Very professional.”

Araki also commented on how well Forever Young is handling everything.

“We went to (the Tapeta track) first to trot and easy hacking, and then we went to the main track for a normal canter one lap,” Araki said of last Saturday’s exercise. “I think he's in very good condition now. Always, when he moves to America, he gets condition better and better, and I find this morning he moved really well. I'm very happy, and I think he's very happy, too.”

After greatly enjoying the new @BelmontPark1905’s Tapeta track, Forever Young seemed to have completely settled into his new surroundings. Warm up, gallop, cool down, roll, bath, graze, breakfast & a nap. Sounds like a nice morning for anyone 😬 pic.twitter.com/o4segN68BZ

— Kate Hunter • ケイト ハンター (@KeibaKate) September 12, 2026

Plans call for Forever Young to post a timed workout Tuesday morning with jockey Ryusei Sakai aboard. But don’t look for anything too fast.

“Tempo is important. It's not about time,” Araki said.

“It should be a half-mile to five-eighths, but you guys will be disappointed clock-wise,” Ando laughed. “We won't give you a fancy time. We want to just feel the horse.”

Forever Young’s connections are grateful for the warm welcome, and for the opportunity to become part of the rich history of Belmont Park and the Jockey Club Gold Cup itself.

“I am delighted to be able to compete in the United States again with Forever Young, following our participation over the past two years,” Yahagi said. “It is also a great honor to run in New York at this very memorable time, coinciding with the reopening of the historic Belmont Park racetrack. Through these two races, the Jockey Gold Cup and the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland, I hope to contribute to the further development of American horse racing.

“I express my sincere gratitude for the support of so many people, and the entire stable will work together to help Forever Young achieve good results.”

“This racecourse’s history shows many champion horses have run here,” Araki said. “The Gold Cup is the next big race. There are many good trainers here, and we are very honored to be here, standing here and training here. I’m very impressed with everything. The people are very warm and kind.”

“The American people, everybody, loves Forever Young,” Ando said. “I feel a lot of respect for him from everyone, which we really appreciate. Belmont Park people give good hospitality for us, and everything we request, they try their best, for which we're really thankful.

“We have to do good for the Gold Cup because, like Yuki said, it’s a great historic race. We are honored to join that and hope we are able to show everyone Forever Young with a great performance at Belmont.”