The time has come for Forever Young to make amends for his spring exploits. In the Kentucky Derby, Forever Young had a barging match with second-placed Sierra Leone but held on to finish third. Now up against some of the best older horses in the world, he is determined to make a splash in the United States, the home of dirt racing.

Unbeaten on domestic soil, Japan's emerging dirt star, Forever Young will be looking to avenge his unfortunate third-placed finish in the Run for the Roses.

He is targeting the BC Classic this autumn and returned to action in the JPN1 Japan Dirt Classic, after a five-month absence. As it was the first race in a long time, some were concerned that he would not be at 100%, but when the race was over, he was a decisive winner against a strong field. Assistant Shibuta said "He is finally starting to look like an older horse, although he has had the looseness of bigger horses since he was two. He's grown two centimetres taller than he was as a two-year-old."

Since his debut last October, he has won four consecutive domestic and international graded stakes without missing a beat. However, in the Kentucky Derby in May, he was beaten by a length by Mystik Dan. After the last race, jockey Sakai said "He hasn't been beaten domestically and I was disappointed in the USA in the spring. I want to get revenge for that," he said, and considering the progress he's made since the spring, it doesn't seem like a pipe dream.

The stage will be at Del Mar. The straight is 919 feet (280 metres), not so different from Kokura or Fukushima in Japan. Shibuta is concerned that the track may not suit Forever Young, but he is confident that the horse will run well. The highest finish for a Japanese horse is second in last year's race by Derma Sotogake. It would be no surprise to Japanese racing fans and enthusiasts for Forever Young to go one better!