LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The two horses from Japan, Forever Young and T O Password, put in their final work under the twin spires of Churchill Downs Tuesday morning.
While Japan has seen a boom in horse racing the past five years, one has yet to win at the Kentucky Derby. This year, a horse that hasn't lost hopes to change that.
Forever Young is 4-0 entering the Run for the Roses after punching his ticket with a win in Dubai, but perfection isn't limited to just the races.
Ryusei Sakai has been Forever Young's jockey in every race.
"[Forever Young is] undefeated in training and in racing. For him at the moment, that's a unique thing," Sakai said through a translator.
Sakai said he's got a lot of faith in Forever Young, so he's looking forward to going out there together.
Now they're on the sports biggest stage, where the approach has to be just as perfect.
"At this point in his career, one race is kind of from all over the place," Sakai said through a translator. "If the pace is really, really fast he'll probably be coming from behind. If the pace is really, really slow, he will probably be a little more forwardly placed."
This isn't Sakai's first time at Churchill Downs. He was here in 2023 with Continuar, but after he was scratched had to watch the race in the grandstands. This year, he's back and now he'll have the best seat in the house.
"It's such a big thing," Sakai said through a translator about going to the Kentucky Derby.
Why Sakai feels there are many reasons why Forever Young could be in the winner's circle. The biggest reason is simply put.
"Because he went faster than all the rest of the horses."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.