Forever Young

His two-year-old season was flawless. He debuted on October 14, 2023 at Kyoto, winning by four lengths. Three weeks later he took the JBC Nisai Yushun at Monbetsu and closed the year with the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki by seven lengths, all on dirt. With three wins in three starts, he was rated 113 in the JPN Thoroughbred Ranking: tied for second among 2023 two-year-olds and the highest mark ever given to a two-year-old dirt horse in that ranking.

His international run began in February 2024 with a track record in the Saudi Derby (G3) at King Abdulaziz Racetrack and continued with the UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan, won by two lengths. He reached the Kentucky Derby unbeaten and as one of the favorites; in a finish decided by a nose, he was third behind Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone, in one of the closest photo finishes in the history of the Churchill Downs classic. He returned to Japan in October and won the Japan Dirt Classic (JpnI) at Ohi. In November he attempted the Breeders' Cup Classic 2024 at Del Mar, finishing third behind Sierra Leone. He closed the year in December with the Tokyo Daishōten (G1), his first win in an internationally recognized G1.

The 2025 season was his coronation. In February he won the Saudi Cup (G1) by a neck over Romantic Warrior, adding 10 million dollars to his earnings. In April he was third in the Dubai World Cup. After a planned break, he returned in October to win the Nippon TV Hai (JpnII) at Funabashi and weeks later traveled to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup Classic 2025, winning by half a length over Sierra Leone — the first horse bred and trained in Japan to take the race regarded as the highest-ranked dirt prize on the North American calendar. That campaign earned him three JRA Awards distinctions (Horse of the Year, Best Older Male, Best Dirt Horse), with Horse of the Year going to a dirt horse for the first time in the award's history, and the Eclipse Award for American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse, also a first for a Japanese-trained horse in a dirt category.

The 2026 season added a historic record. On February 14 he returned to King Abdulaziz Racetrack and won the Saudi Cup for a second consecutive year, becoming the first horse to do so in the short history of the race. On March 28 in the Dubai World Cup he was second, beaten one length by Magnitude. In June his connections confirmed he would stay on dirt: on September 18, in his first start in nearly six months, he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park by 3¼ lengths, and he was announced to defend his title in the 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland.

As of September 2026, Forever Young's record showed 16 starts and 12 wins, with cross-jurisdiction earnings of 5,035,735,300 yen — the highest figure for a Japanese-trained dirt horse. His Breeders' Cup Classic 2025 victory was named the NTRA Moment of the Year and helped cement Japan's presence on the international dirt scene, a surface on which the country had traditionally been competitive only domestically. In February 2026 his addition to the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise — a Japanese multimedia property that adapts real racehorses as characters — was announced, extending his cultural impact beyond the core racing audience.