After all the soul search and fear, Romantic warrior With his first run with dirt in the 20 million dollar -Saudi -Cup (G1) on February 22nd Forever teenage A dirt specialist followed him in the last steps to win the richest race in the world on a neck after being passed in the early route.
“Romantic warrior is a robust horse,” said the victorious coach Yoshito Yahagi. “Our horse was better.”
Forever Adolescent won on King Abdulaziz RaceCourse and added the Saudi trophy in his victory in the Saudi Arabian derby 2024 (G3)-a different, last effort. Then he made the VAE derby (G2) in Dubai before he was an unfortunate third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) Churchill Downs. He ended the year with another third in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) under sea.
When he returned to Saudi Arabia, he shouldn't deny.
Forever Adolescent crossed directly from the outer gate and raced with the leaders through the early Furlongs, while the romantic warrior followed. Jockey James McDonald then pushed the romantic warrior in front of the leaders five wide in the sole turn of the race and turned into the track. The two were quickly ahead of the rest of the field. The romantic warrior held a clear advantage, and McDonald looked a few looks towards the massive infield television screen to watch the competition.
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Behind him after changing the leads when he was angled in romantic warriors in front of a drift, gained teenage relentlessly.
The winner Ryusei Sakai's win: “He jumped very well from a difficult place (in Post 14) and did a great job. These were my kind of instructions.”
It has produced a matchup that may never have been seen as a romantic warrior again, a ten-time group/tiered winner on grass, it seems certain to return to the lawn race.
McDonald said he decided to put his mount in clearly outside in order to be away from the dirt of horses. He said romantic warrior then started to cover the ground beautifully.
When the romantic warrior took the lead on the route, he said that he was “quite surprised” to capture his horse with a remaining Furlong forever. He noticed that his horse maintained his offer.
“It only shows what a great horse is teenage forever and what a race it was,” he said.
Ryusei Sakai celebrates the victory on board forever teenage in Saudi
When the romantic warrior turned out, Sakai said: “I felt how he came to me. Of course I believed in Forever Adolescent, so I never felt bad in this competition.”
Yahagi, who won the Saudi trophy for the second time in his six -year history, expressed a different feeling than he saw romantic war shoes for a tour.
“I thought when my horse passed a romantic warrior, it was more romantic than the films,” said Yahagi.
“I was concerned about the romantic warrior because he had never run on the dirt. So I didn't know how much he would show on the dirt.”
Both horses glowed, which was covered by a distant gap to the rest of the competition and a time for the record time of 1.800 meters (approx. 1 1/8 miles) of 1: 49.09 on a quick track. Forever Adolescent paid $ 6.60 for a profit of $ 2 in an international pari-mutuuel car pool as the second favorite for Romantic Warrior.
Tamba torsoro Was 10 1/2 lengths back in the third and Wilson Tesoro fourth. The lonely American runner, Rassle n roll Fifth.
In addition to the proportion of the winner of $ 10 million on the wallet, Forever Adolescent in November in November in Del Mar. before the race, the Breeders 'Cup and the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia paid a fee-paid trip to Breeders' Cup Classic made Cup was added to the Breeders' Cup Challenge series: Win and you are there.
Yahagi, known as “The Man in Hut” for his colorful headgear, was wearing a purple hat at the 2024 Breeders' Cup. For the renewal of 2025 in Del Mar, he said: “I could keep it” what was blue.
Before Yahagi thinks of the breeder cup, he has another task in mind forever.
“I also think of the Dubai World Cup,” he said. “Nobody won these two races in doubles.”
Kenny McPeek indicated that Rattle N Roll would also refer to the Dubai World Cup (G1) as his next start. The trainer set it on X that he was satisfied with the efforts of his runner in the Saudi Cup, but thought that the 1 1/4 miles distance of the Dubai race would like him more.
Forever is a son of Real steel Grandson of Deep effect and great -grandchildren of Sunday sweat. He was produced by the congratulations mare Forever darling .
At the end of 2023 he won his first three starts in Japan, one of them a stage on the Japanese road to the Kentucky Derby. However, Yahagi opted for a campaign in the Middle East, and Forever Adolescent reacted with a dramatic victory in the Saudi derby.
Yahagi later said Forever Adolescent was only 80% suitable for this Saudi race. He obviously benefited from the effort when he easily won his next start, the VAE derby in Dubai. This qualified for the Kentucky Derby, where he took third place on the now celebrated three-way photo behind it Mystic and And Sierra Leone After you have repeatedly hit the route with the latter.
After five months of discharge, he won a preparatory race in Japan and then finished third in Breeders' Cup Classic behind Sierra Leone. He was again a airy winner in Tokyo Daishoten (G1) on the OI racetrack on December 29 in his preparation for the Saudi Cup.
Its owner, Susumu Fujita, is the founder and owner of the cyberagent internet platform.
Romantic warrior came to the dirt race as an experiment after building a world record bank roll of more than $ 22.7 million on the lawn. Owner Peter Lau said that the Saudi trophy was an experiment and this romantic warrior would return to the grass walk – win or lose.
“Once in her life, we should try,” said Lau about the attempt to transfer the form of the romantic warrior to King Abdulaziz RaceCourse Dirt.
Romantic warrior and jockey James McDonald after taking second place in the Saudi Cup
