Forever Young ended a forever wait.

A horse from Japan had never won one of America’s greatest races until Saturday, when Forever Young held off defending champion Sierra Leone to win the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.

Third behind Sierra Leone and Fierceness a year ago in the same race over the same track, Forever Young beat last year’s winner by a half-length in 2:00.59 for 1 ¼ miles. Fierceness, the 3-1 favorite, was third, another length back, followed by Journalism and Mindframe.

Forever Young, who was also third in last year’s Kentucky Derby, was sent off at 7-2 odds, same as Sierra Leone. The winner returned $9 to his backers and earned $3,640,000 for owner Susumu Fujita.

It was the third Breeders’ Cup victory for trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who won the Distaff and Fil

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