Forever Young, two-time champ Ushba Tesoro clash in Tokyo Daishoten

Most recently third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Forever Young aims to remain unbeaten in his native Japan in Sunday’s Tokyo Daishoten (G1) at Oi. The about 1 1/4-mile feature is slated for 1:40 a.m. ET late Saturday into early Sunday morning. 

Yoshito Yahagi’s decorated globetrotter is eligible to dethrone two-time defending champion Ushba Tesoro, who comes off a lackluster 10th in his Classic bid at Del Mar. Still, it’s not a two-horse race, with several other notable contenders in the field. 

Forever Young’s only two losses have come in historic events on U.S. soil. An epic third in the Kentucky Derby (G1), where he was beaten all of two noses in a scrimmaging finish, he was arguably disadvantaged by his rail draw in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. To bag position on the inside, Forever Young raced much nearer to the unsustainable pace set by compatriot Derma Sotogake, and by the time he swung out to rally, Sierra Leone was already in full flight. Not that he was going to outkick Sierra Leone that day, but Forever Young might well have overtaken Fierceness for second with a different trip.

Two starts ago, in his tightener for the Breeders’ Cup, Forever Young defeated fellow sophomores in the Oct. 2 Japan Dirt Classic at this track and trip. 

The subpar fourth in the Japan Dirt Classic, Ramjet, was expected to pose more of a challenge. Ramjet had won four straight, including the Feb. 18 Hyacinth S. on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Unicorn (G3), and the June 5 Tokyo Derby over Sunday’s course and distance. The Maeda family’s homebred had not raced since then, however, when failing to land a blow behind Forever Young. Perhaps he was ring-rusty off the four-month layoff, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ramjet shows more here.

Ushba Tesoro likewise has claims to rebound again after his Breeders’ Cup flop. Fifth in the 2023 Classic at Santa Anita, the deep closer thrived in his return to Oi to repeat in the Tokyo Daishoten. The son of the great Orfevre delivered a sustained run down the length of the stretch to catch Wilson Tesoro here last December.

Yet there’s the question of whether Ushba Tesoro is quite the same horse at this stage. He’d settled for second in his three starts this term prior to the Breeders’ Cup – a brutal beat in the Saudi Cup (G1) followed by belated rallies in his title defenses in the Dubai World Cup (G1) and Nippon TV Hai (G2).

In contrast, Wilson Tesoro, who was fourth in the Dubai World Cup, is better than ever at the moment for the same connections. It could be significant that owner Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co. recently transferred Wilson Tesoro to Ushba Tesoro’s trainer, Noboru Takagi, so that the duo are not only fellow color-bearers but stablemates. Moreover, jockey Yuga Kawada jumps from “Ushba” to ”Wilson.”

Although Wilson Tesoro was runner-up to champion Lemon Pop for the second straight year in the Champions Cup (G1), he just missed by a diminishing nose in the Dec. 1 renewal at Chukyo. Wilson Tesoro’s preceding romp in the Nov. 4 JBC Classic, in which he had only been fifth a year ago, marked a breakthrough. 

Crown Pride would rate a threat if he runs back to his stellar display in the Sept. 8 Korea Cup (G3), where he dominated as the defending champion, and left Wilson Tesoro behind in second. But the Koichi Shintani veteran is hit-or-miss, a tendency evident in his subsequent 11th in the Champions Cup. U.S. fans may remember him best as the 2022 UAE Derby (G2) winner who folded in the Kentucky Derby pace meltdown that brought us Rich Strike. Crown Pride does have encouraging course-and-distance form from his only prior appearance at Oi, a near-miss in the 2023 Teio Sho.

Shintani has a much more consistent contender in the multiple stakes-winning mare Grand Bridge, who has competed honorably versus males. Narrowly denied in the April 3 Kawasaki Kinen, she was also fourth in the June 26 Teio Sho behind King’s Sword and Wilson Tesoro. Grand Bridge has been a mainstay in the distaff division, placing in the past three runnings of the JBC Ladies’ Classic. Two of her black-type wins came at Oi, including the Oct. 1 Ladies’ Prelude. 

The other three entrants belong to the typically lesser National Association of Racing circuit. Chief among them is the locally-based Sayono Nature, who appears well held at this level in light of his fifth in the Teio Sho and eighth in the Mile Championship Nambu Hai. Grande Mare, formerly a turf performer with the Japan Racing Association, is a recent transfer to Oi, while King of the Nile represents Nagoya.