By Bill Finley
After Next (Not This Time) romped in Saturday's GIII Greenwood Cup at Parx, trainer Doug Cowans said Sunday he will consider both the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and the GI Breeders' Cup Turf for the marathon specialist's next start.
“We're going to get the horse home,” Cowans said. “He's on his way back right now from Philadelphia to Kentucky. We will let him get back to his routine and get through the first breeze, which will take place 15 to 17 days from now. From there, we'll see how the horse is and make a plan, whatever that is.”
Since winning the 2022 Cape Henlopen S. at Delaware Park, a 1 5/8-mile race that came off the turf, Next has proven to be nearly unbeatable in dirt races run at 1 1/2 miles or longer. He won the 1 1/2-mile Greenwood Cup by 10 lengths and it was his seventh straight win. He won the seven races by an average margin of 13.39 lengths. Through most of the winning streak, Cowans said he was not eager to start the 6-year-old gelding in shorter but tougher races like the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup.
But he may no longer have that option as the Greenwood Cup was the last dirt stakes race on the 2024 calendar run at 1 1/2 miles or longer.
The Breeders' Cup Classic is run at a 1 1/4 miles, a distance that may be too short for Next. The Turf is run at 1 1/2 miles, but Next's best races have been on the dirt. He has a record of 3-0-0 in seven tries on the turf, with the 2021 War Chant Stakes his lone stakes win on the grass.
“I'm taking the Breeders' Cup very seriously,” Cowans said. “I'm going to let the horse tell me what to do with him and see how it goes over the next couple of weeks. Once we breeze him, we'll know more. The horse will determine things. If he shows us he wants to go to the Breeders' Cup, we will go. If not, we will move on to something else.”
The Turf or the Classic?
“I don't know which way we would go,” Cowans said. “My gut tells me I'd rather run in the Turf because of the distance. There are some other people that have a say. We'll kick it down the road until it's time to make a decision.”
Next, who paid $2.10 to win, ran his typical race Saturday. He stalked the early pace, took over when ready and then drew clear from his overmatched opponents.
“The race played just as I thought it would,” Cowans said. “He broke from the outside post. There would be a little bit of speed that would go and he was able to sit off of them. When he gets into his rhythm he just kind of attacks the competition as he needs to. I'm super excited about this horse and am so glad I am a part of this. It's something special.”
This was Next's second straight win in the Greenwood Cup. In 2023, he won the race by 25 lengths. Cowans claimed the horse from Wesley Ward for $62,500 on April 16, 2022.
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