Forever Young edges out Romantic Warrior in Saudi Cup thriller

Forever Young (11-8F)reeled in Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior in the final few strides to get the better of a truly epic duel for the Saudi Cup in Riyadh.

The pair dominated the betting for the nine-furlong showpiece, with the Japanese runner Forever Young already proven on a dirt track with placed finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic – while in contrast Romantic Warrior was taking a step into the unknown on the surface.

It looked as though James McDonald had made a winning move aboard the Danny Shum-trained Romantic Warrior – the world’s highest-earning racehorse – when he switched five wide on the bend and set sail for home.

Forever Young was caught for pace as Romantic Warrior accelerated in tremendous fashion, but entering the final furlong Forever Young was gaining with every stride, eventually just putting his head in front on the line to secure top honours in the world’s most valuable race.

Yahagi – whose exploits on the international stage need no introduction and who was successful with Shin Emperor earlier on the Saudi Cup card – said: "It’s unbelievable how he is so good. Unbelievable!

"Of course Romantic Warrior is such a strong horse and we respect him, but our horse was better today.

"I was believing he’d still come back to pass Romantic Warrior.

"He loves travelling and I love travel too!"

The Japanese dominated the supporting races on the card as Oisin Murphy reaped the benefits when landing the Longines Red Sea Turf aboard Byzantine Dream (16-1).

The chestnut was making his first start outside of his homeland for trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi, teaming up with Murphy for the Group Two prize.

The duo took up the lead within the final two furlongs and though David O'Meara’s Epic Poet was