Forever Young's international campaign will end where his Japanese legacy took shape: connections are targeting the Dec. 29 Tokyo Daishoten at Oi Racecourse, with retirement to follow if the five-year-old exits quarantine in sound condition. Trainer Yoshito Yahagi said the decision was driven in part by owner Susumu Fujita's wish to give Japanese fans one last chance to see their champion at home, according to Paulick Report.
The plan remains conditional rather than ceremonial. Forever Young is still in quarantine after returning from the United States, and Yahagi has indicated that even a minor concern about the horse's condition or legs would prompt immediate retirement instead of a final start. That cautious approach is understandable after a demanding season that has taken the Real Steel gelding from Riyadh to Dubai, New York and Kentucky.
On the racetrack, the 2026 campaign has been another exceptional one despite its uneven ending. Forever Young won the $20 million Saudi Cup for a second time, finished second behind Magnitude in the Dubai World Cup and returned from nearly six months between races to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup by 3 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park. He then finished fifth as the favorite in the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Classic, his first career finish outside the top three, according to BloodHorse's Breeders' Cup preview.
That Keeneland result should be treated as a performance to explain, not a verdict on the horse. Forever Young had been shipped across continents, was reported to have been unsettled in the paddock and faced a deep Classic field after a long-distance campaign. Before that defeat, he had won the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar, captured two Saudi Cups and proved his adaptability on several racing surfaces and in different tactical situations. His reported career line stands at 12 wins, one second and three thirds from 17 starts, with earnings above $32.5 million. Thoroughbred Daily News also reports that he is scheduled to stand at Shadai Stallion Station in 2027.
The Tokyo finale offers a more logical close than a switch to turf for the Arima Kinen. Forever Young won the 2024 Tokyo Daishoten, his most recent Japanese start before the 2025 Breeders' Cup campaign, and the Oi dirt course gives him a familiar target over the discipline in which he established himself as a global star. He will need to recover fully from the Classic and negotiate the usual uncertainties of a major Japanese dirt race, but his record makes him the horse to beat if he reaches the starting gate.
For now, the most important “workout” is the veterinary assessment after quarantine, not a published clocking or equipment change. If Yahagi receives the all-clear, Forever Young will return to the scene of one of his defining victories with a chance to add one last Grade 1 triumph. If not, the connections have made clear that preserving the stallion's long-term future takes priority over a farewell parade. Either way, Shadai is preparing to receive a horse whose career already includes the Tokyo Daishoten, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Breeders' Cup Classic and two Saudi Cups, a résumé summarized by Thoroughbred Daily News.