RIYADH: Jockey Ryusei Sakai is staying cool ahead of what will certainly be a high-pressure situation aboard Forever Young (JPN) in Saturday’s $20m Saudi Cup.
The Japanese colt displayed his suitability for the dirt track at King Abdulaziz Racecourse when he won the $1.5m Saudi Derby presented by ZOOD Realty a year ago, before finishing a fine third in both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“Since he won the Tokyo Daishoten in December he had stayed at Yoshito Yahagi’s stable at Ritto Training Centre and remained in training … and then he started to have steady workouts three weeks before his trip to Saudi Arabia,” Sakai said. “I think everything has gone very well so far.”
Forever Young breezed for 1,300 meters on the dirt track under Sakai on Wednesday and had easy exercise for 60 minutes in the training yard at the quarantine stable on Thursday. In between, Sakai discovered Forever Young had drawn gate 14 of 14.
“He travelled to Riyadh very well. He has been very relaxed and looked confident since he has arrived,” Sakai said. “I have no worries about him. He is a very versatile type of horse and can handle any type of track condition.
“The wide gate is not a big concern and distance-wise there is no issue either. I understand this will be a very competitive race, but my focus is to show his run. I am really looking forward to Saturday.”
Sakai, Yahagi and owner Susumu Fujita also have Forever Young’s stablemate, Shin Emperor (FR), as a contender in the US$2m Howden Neom Turf Cup.
The 4-year-old Siyouni colt, a brother of 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass, was a disappointing 12th in the Arc last October but bounced back to finish a good second to Do Deuce in November’s Group 1 Japan Cup.
“He looked great (when) he came back from the break after the Japan Cup,” Sakai said.
“As he is a French-bred horse and has travelled from France to Japan, from Japan to Europe, he is already an experienced traveler.
“Since he has arrived in Riyadh, he has been keeping good condition and has felt really good when I galloped him yesterday. The left-handed flat track here should be the perfect match for him, and I am very confident of his chances in the race if he can show his class.”
