Forever Young, third by a head in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in May, won for the first time at 1 1/4 miles in Wednesday’s $830,900 Japan Dirt Classic at Oi Racecourse in Tokyo. The Japan Dirt Classic for 3-year-old colts and fillies was Forever Young’s prep race for an expected start in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2. Ridden by Ryusei Sakai, Forever Young, who paid $3.40 in Japan, raced near the front throughout after a bobble at the start, stalking Kashima Espada on the right-handed dirt track. Forever Young raced two wide behind the leader on the backstretch and moved closer to the front on the turn. Entering the stretch, Forever Young took the lead and was clear in the final furlong, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over Mikki Fight, a Grade 3 stakes winner in August. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Sunrise Zipangu, a two-time stakes winner who was 12th in the Grade 1 Japanese Derby on turf in May, finished third in the field of 15. Forever Young was timed in 2:04.10. The Japan Dirt Classic was Forever Young’s first start since the Kentucky Derby, and his sixth win in his seventh start. Prior to the Kentucky Derby, Forever Young gained international prominence earlier this year with wins in the Group 3 Saudi Derby, a $1.5 million race at a mile, in Saudi Arabia in February; and the Group 2 United Arab Emirates Derby, a $1 million race at 1 3/16 miles in Dubai on March 30. A colt by the Deep Impact stallion Real Steel, Forever Young won three races on dirt in Japan last year at distances ranging from a mile to 1 1/8 miles. Forever Young races for owner Fujita Susumu and trainer Yoshito Yahagi. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.