Horse racing-Forever Young hangs on to win Breeders' Cup Classic

Japan's Forever Young held on through the final straight to win the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar racetrack in Southern California on Saturday, overcoming one of the most competitive fields in the race's history.

The bay colt went off at 7/2 odds after finishing third last year and settled into the pack midway through the 1-1/4 mile race before pulling away around the final turn.

He fended off a late challenge from last year's winner Sierra Leone (7/2) down the final straight, as the favourite Fierceness (3-1) slipped to third place in the final moments of the race.

It was a moment of sweet redemption for Forever Young, the third-place finisher a year ago who also took third at the 2024 Kentucky Derby.

"It's an amazing horse," the breathless jockey Ryusei Sakai said in a televised interview after the race. "It's a dream."

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi, the first from Japan to win the Breeders' Cup Classic, pumped his fists in celebration and pledged to return next year.

"It's like a Japanese team won the World Cup," he said via a translator. "Horse racing industry - people never expect (us) to win the Breeders' Cup ... Each time we give 100 per cent."

The $7-million race was widely considered among the most competitive in recent memory, even after the favourite, Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, was scratched due to illness.