Forever Young's international campaign will end where his Japanese legend took shape, with trainer Yoshito Yahagi targeting the Dec. 29 Tokyo Daishoten at Oi Racecourse as the champion's final start. The plan remains conditional on the 5-year-old's health after quarantine, but the race offers a fitting homecoming for a horse who has won all six of his starts in Japan. BloodHorse reported that Yahagi announced the retirement plan Nov. 8.
Yahagi told Japanese media that Forever Young is still quarantined at Shiroi and will be examined once released. If his condition fails to improve during the preparation or the stable finds any concern with his legs, retirement will come immediately rather than after the Daishoten. The trainer also made clear that the objective is not another lucrative overseas venture: owner Susumu Fujita and the stable want Japanese fans to see their star race once more. Daily Racing Form characterized the Tokyo Daishoten as a final appearance before his retirement.
The timing follows the first setback of Forever Young's career. He finished fifth as the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31, unable to duplicate his historic 2025 victory at Del Mar. Before that disappointment, he had won the $20 million Saudi Cup for a second consecutive year, finished second behind Magnitude in the Dubai World Cup and returned from nearly six months away to dominate the Jockey Club Gold Cup by 3 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park. His Keeneland effort was not a collapse so much as a race in which he failed to deliver his customary finishing punch, an important consideration for a horse now being prepared for one final 2,000-meter test. Paulick Report noted that the Classic was his first finish outside the top three.
The Daishoten is an unusually appropriate stage. Forever Young won the race in 2024 after finishing third in that year's Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic, and the right-handed dirt course at 2,000 meters suits the versatile racing style that carried him successfully across Japan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the United States. He enters the planned finale with 12 wins, one second and three thirds from 17 starts, including major victories in the Saudi Cup, Breeders' Cup Classic and Jockey Club Gold Cup. DRF's career summary confirms both his 2024 Daishoten victory and his 12-for-17 record.
For jockey Ryusei Sakai and Yahagi, the assignment will be to manage a horse whose résumé already needs no final embellishment. Forever Young became the first Japan-trained winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic and was named Japan's Horse of the Year for 2025; the two Saudi Cup triumphs also made him one of the sport's most valuable dirt runners. The coming weeks will therefore be less about chasing another international challenge than protecting the horse and preserving the possibility of a genuine farewell. If he exits quarantine sound and returns to his best, the Tokyo Daishoten will be a competitive race—and the closing chapter of one of Japan's most consequential modern campaigns. Thoroughbred Daily News also identified the Dec. 29 race as his intended final start.