BENSALEM, Pa. -- For fans of Next, the waiting will be the hardest part.
Following another tour-de-force victory -- this time a 10-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Goodwood Cup at Parx -- the connections of Next will now contemplate a potential start in a Breeders’ Cup race on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
The options are the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles n dirt or the $5 million Turf at 1 1/2 miles.
“Do I want to go a mile and a quarter on dirt against the boys in the Classic? I do, there’s no doubt in my mind, I believe in my heart he can run with them,” Michael Foster, the owner of Next, said in the Parx winner’s circle. “But we don’t want to change the horse. He proved what he could do at a mile and a half and out. He’s just good at it, but we’ll see.”
Next’s victory in the Greenwood Cup was his ninth in 10 starts on dirt at distances of 1 3/8 miles and farther. Those victories have come by a combined 116 1/2 lengths.
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Next, who is now 13 for 23 lifetime, is 3 for 7 on turf and was entered for the turf in the Cape Henlopen Stakes at Delaware Park in September 2022, but that race was rained off to the dirt and Next won by 18 1/4 lengths. That began this amazing two-year run with the only blemish a third-place finish in the Isaac Murphy at Churchill Downs in May 2023. He has won seven straight since then, including two runnings of the Greenwood Cup.
Doug Cowans, the trainer of Next, said he believes distance is more important for Next than surface.
“My gut tells me to stay with the distance and give up the surface if I do something like that and go for the mile and a half on the grass,” Cowans said. “I know you got to face the Europeans, who have a good turn of foot, that’s the thing.”
But, Cowans said, “A mile and a quarter on dirt, I worry about the pace scenario that the horse will get into. You can see [today] he was tugging a little bit on the bridle. You put up a 46 [-second half-mile], he’ll get to tugging on you pretty good. I don’t know where that leaves him.”
The Greenwood was more of the same of what Next has done the last 10 starts. He stalked the pacesetting Ridin With Biden through a mile in 1:42.97, took over leaving the half-mile pole, and just galloped home the easiest kind of winner under Luan Machado.
Magic Michael finished second, five lengths in front of Treble Clef.
Next, a 6-year-old gelding by Not This Time, covered the 1 1/2 miles on a fast main track, that wasn’t yielding particularly quick times, in 2:33.61 and returned $2.10 as the 1-20 favorite and getting a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I don’t want to be cocky, but that was a paid workout,” Foster said. “We work him harder every morning than we do in this race. I’m tickled to be back here and to win the Cup again.”
Next will return to Turfway Park on Sunday. Cowans said he would likely make a decision after Next’s first breeze back in 15 to 17 days after this race.
“That’ll be the deadline for me,” Cowans said. “If all systems are go, I’ll sit down with Mr. Foster and have a serious conversation about what he wants and what the horse wants, if the horse is capable of that and go from there.”
Let the waiti
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ng begin.