G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Forever Young ‘a horse for everyone’

• G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Forever Young ‘a horse for everyone’
• Impressive maiden winner Davidson eyes Maid of the Mist; U. S. S. Valor works for G1 Champagne
• Storm Miami, West Hollywood work over Belmont Park turf

Susumu Fujita’s Forever Young impressed an appreciative crowd with a 3 1/4-length score in Friday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup as fans celebrated a return to racing at the new Belmont Park. The victory in the 10-furlong route for 3-year-olds and up provided a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in October at Keeneland.

Trained by Yoshito Yahagi and piloted by Ryusei Sakai, the 5-year-old Real Steel bay tracked the early foot of dual Grade 2-winner Phileas Fogg through a moderate tempo before taking control with three-eighths to run and drawing clear from his rivals on his left lead to score in a final time of 2:01.23. The winning effort returned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.

Assistant trainer Yuki Araki, who also gallops Forever Young, brought the Japanese Horse of the Year and reigning Champion OIder Dirt Horse out to graze in front of the media on Saturday morning.

"I'm proud of him,” Araki said. “100 percent, no doubt he is a Champion horse. I was really, really pleased with the result and also his performance. I'm very happy.

"He's good this morning, a little bit tired, I can tell, but he is doing well,” Araki added.

Forever Young, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, has made 16 starts across 10 racetracks in four countries, posting additional top-flight scores in in back-to-back editions of the $20 million Saudi Cup in 2025-26 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, and the 2024 Tokyo Daishoten in his native country, where he is undefeated through six efforts.

Araki noted his appreciation for the numerous fans of Forever Young, who have followed the horse through four stateside starts which includes third-place efforts in 2024 in both the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.

“I really want to thank Belmont Park and all the American fans. It was a real special moment. I realize he is not just a horse for Japan, but a horse for everyone,” Araki said.

Forever Young is expected to return to training early next week. He utilized both the Tapeta track and main track in his preparations for the Jockey Club Gold Cup and could potentially utilize both the dirt training track and pony track as well.

Bred by Northern Racing, Forever Young is out of the Grade 2-winning Congrats mare Forever Darling, a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Heavenly Love – dam of Forever Young’s familiar foe Sierra Leone. Forever Young has banked in excess of $32.3 million through a 16-12-1-3 ledger.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott reported that Jockey Club Gold Cup second and third-place finishers Stars and Stripes and Baeza exited the race in good order.

“They look good. All looks pretty good for running a mile and a quarter race,” Mott said.

Frassetto Stables’ Stars and Stripes was cutting back in distance from a victory in the 1 3/4-mile Listed Birdstone on August 13 at Saratoga Race Course. The 4-year-old Not This Time bay was the 15-1 longest shot on the board in the Gold Cup as he made his top-level debut.

“I was really pleased with his race,” Mott said. “I think he showed up big time yesterday. No way he was going to outrun Forever Young, but he showed up. He beat the other ones in the race and had to run hard to do that. He had a good payday, a second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, I guess that’s no disgrace.”

Of the slow-starting Baeza, Mott said, “Seemed like he came back good. No big issues. We’ve got to speak with the powers that be and see what they want to do.”

It was announced Friday that Baeza will stand stud in 2027 at Spendthrift Farm.

Additional news, notes, advances and recaps are available at: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/news/.

For more information about the new Belmont Park, visit NewBelmont.com. 

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Impressive maiden winner Davidson eyes Maid of the Mist; U. S. S. Valor works for G1 Champagne

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey captured the early double on Opening Day of the new Belmont Park with Lisa Joy and Davidson. The latter, a 2-year-old American Pharoah bay, captured a seven-furlong maiden to graduate second-out versus fellow New York-bred juvenile fillies.

Davidson exited post 10-of-12 under Manny Franco to track the pace through the half-mile in 46.36 seconds, taking command by 4 1/2 lengths near the stretch call and hanging on by three-quarter-lengths in a final time of 1:25.89 over the fast dirt.

“I thought she ran good,” McGaughey said. “She got a little bit late in the last part of it, but I thought she laid where she needed to lay and ran by pretty easily. I thought she ran fine.”

Davidson, bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Bob Cromartie, was a $385,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training out of the winning Ghostzapper mare Harley Girl. She is campaigned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Mike Carter, Cambron Equine and Jeff Walsh.

“That’s where I’d be pointing for,” McGaughey said of the one-mile state-bred Maid of the Mist on October 24 at Belmont, part of Empire Showcase Day featuring 10 stakes exclusively for horses foaled in New York State.

Andrew Rosen’s British-homebred Lisa Joy graduated sixth out with a head score under Antonio Fresu in a 10-furlong inner turf maiden that opened the new Belmont Park. The sophomore Too Darn Hot bay was making her third start for McGaughey after a trio of outings in her native country for conditioner Ralph Beckett.

“I think the turf courses look great and that was fun,” McGaughey said. “I thought the kid rode her really well, too, so I was pleased. It was a pretty fun opening day.”

McGaughey tuned in to watch reigning Japanese Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award Older Dirt Male Forever Young win the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. McGaughey trained Forever Young’s Grade 1-winning third dam Roamin Rachel.

“I thought that was a very exciting day. I had as much fun yesterday as ever,” the 75-year-old McGaughey said. “I stayed there through the third race and then watched the rest of it here [his office]. I had as much fun yesterday as I’ve had in a long time. I thought NYRA did a very good job in handling the whole situation. It’ll just get better and better, but I was very pleased with everything.”

Team Valor’s Kentucky homebred juvenile colt U. S. S. Valor worked a half-mile in 48.66 on Saturday over the Belmont Park main track in preparation for the local Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne on October 3. The War of Will bay was returning to the tab after he graduated second-out by 13 1/4 lengths on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course and earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He went solo, an exercise rider was on him and he was just going along easy. I thought he worked really well,” McGaughey said.

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Storm Miami, West Hollywood work over Belmont Park turf

EGL-One Racing’s multiple graded stakes-placed Storm Miami and Grade 3-winner West Hollywood turned in works over the Widener turf on Saturday at Belmont Park for trainer Amelia Green.

Storm Miami, who is nominated to the 10-furlong Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl – a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf – on September 26 at Belmont, and turned in a half-mile work in company with Ivy Girl in 50.66, clearing her workmate with ease passing the wire and galloping out strongly. Ivy Girl is nominated to the Grade 3 Winter Memories on September 27.

Green said Storm Miami is under consideration for both the Flower Bowl and the nine-furlong All Along on the same day at Laurel Park.

“Storm Miami put in a good work – she loves the turf and that was a good work for her,” Green said. “I’m still not committed to the Flower Bowl. We’re going to cross-enter at Laurel and here. If she was already a stakes winner, I would keep her here, but since she hasn’t actually won a stake and has placed in many graded stakes, we’re on the fence about sending her there and getting a stakes win out of the way. She’ll be entered in both spots and that decision will be made closer to [race day].”

Shortly after, West Hollywood worked five-eighths in 1:02.68 in company with Gunmetal, with the two close together through the wire. West Hollywood is nominated to the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on September 26, while Gunmetal is nominated to the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint the following day. 

“I thought they breezed good,” Green said. “I’m not sure what I’m doing with them. I haven’t committed to running them. I thought they both got over the turf good – Gunmetal got over the turf [as] good as I was hoping.”

Both colts are owned by EGL-One Racing – with Lucky Hat Racing partnered on Gunmetal – and were purchased at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale. They exited the barn of dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox and have each made one start for Green.

West Hollywood, a $200,000 acquisition, is an established turf specialist, boasting a win in the Grade 3 Saranac in 2024 over the Saratoga Race Course turf. He landed a four-length seventh in the restricted Listed Tapit in his barn debut last out on August 30 at Kentucky Downs. He has compiled a 12-4-1-1 ledger that includes a third in the Grade 3 Arlington in May at Churchill Downs.

Gunmetal, who sold for $250,000, landed sixth in a six-furlong sprint over the Spa main track on August 22 and would be trying turf for the first time in the afternoon should he contest the Belmont Turf Sprint. He holds a 9-3-1-2 record with a graded placing when second in the Grade 2 Amsterdam last year.

“Both of them came from the same sale, and I’ve gotten to know them a little more now,” Green said. “They’re finally coming around and settling into my routine. West Hollywood actually came out of his race at Kentucky Downs better than he went into it and has been training very well. We’re just keeping options open for our next spot with both of them.”