Horse racing news: Forever Young eyes immortality in Dubai World Cup as ‘dirt Triple Crown’ awaits

Forever Young is the world’s best dirt horse and Sports News Blitz’s horse racing expert Kieran McHugh believes that he can climb into the pantheon of greats by winning the Dubai World Cup.

There is no doubt that the Japanese superstar Forever Young is one of the best horses you are ever likely to see on dirt.

He is a six-time Grade One winner and the first back-to-back winner of the Saudi Cup.

He is also the reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic champion, the first Japanese horse to achieve such a feat.

You could argue he is desperately unlucky not to be a Kentucky Derby winner too, having carried Sierra Leone and Tyler Gaffalione down the stretch.

So, what stands between him and racing immortality?

The one race that has evaded him thus far: the Dubai World Cup.

Three of the best?

A victory in the Dubai World Cup would mean that Forever Young will have completed a feat never done before – the unofficial world dirt triple crown.

The three showpiece events on the dirt calendar are the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Saudi Cup, and the Dubai World Cup.

Now, the caveat to this is that a similar feat has already been achieved by the great Arrogate.

The great gray won the Classic, the Dubai World Cup, and the Pegasus World Cup.

At the time, the Pegasus was the richest horse race in the world and with the Saudi Cup coming three years later, it is fair to say that Arrogate completed a triple crown of sorts.

But this one is different.

Three races in three different countries, worth a combined $25 million.

No horse has yet won both the Dubai World Cup and the Saudi Cup, and only Forever Young has won the latter and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Five horses have tasted victory in both the Classic and the Dubai World Cup – Cigar (1996), Pleasantly Perfect (2004), Invasor (2007), Curlin (2008), and Arrogate (2017).

Forever Young can add his name to this illustrious list and further it by doing the treble.

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Can anyone stop him?

This is the golden question.

At the moment, it does not look like anyone can defeat Forever Young.

He lost out to Hit Show in the Dubai World Cup last year, following on from a ferocious tussle with Romantic Warrior in the Saudi Cup, but since then, he has been unbeatable.

His Saudi Cup foe Nysos is also not guaranteed to take his place in Dubai.

Last year’s Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not be present either, but his nemesis Journalism is a potential contender.

He was fourth to Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and would be making his seasonal debut.

Defending champion Hit Show is likely to attempt to defend his crown, yet you would fancy a fitter Forever Young to exact his revenge.

Pegasus World Cup victor Skippylongstocking would need to find more, as would Al Maktoum Challenge winner Imperial Emperor.

This bodes well for the Japanese ace to claim that elusive Dubai World Cup and if he does, it will be an interesting debate to see how he ranks amongst the best in history.

Regardless, Yoshito Yahagi’s trailblazer has already cemented his place in the history books.

In Forever Young’s swansong year, there still could be new ground to break and more history to write.

But for now, all focus will be on landing the main event in the ‘City Of Gold’.

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