Birdstone Stakes

BENSALEM, PA -- The winning margin wasn't close to the 25 lengths he finished in front of his outclassed rivals last September, but it was just another day at the office for America's premier dirt stayer Next (Not This Time), who took over when jockey Luan Machado gave him his cue entering the last of three turns and the 6-year-old lengthened clear in the final furlong to take the GIII Greenwood Cup Stakes by a comparatively 'measly' 10 lengths. Hammered down to odds of 1-20, Next broke alertly from a...

When people discuss Horse of the Year candidates, the name Next (Not This Time) almost never comes up. That's despite what is currently the most impressive winning streak and show of dominance in the sport. He's won eight of his last nine, all of them stakes, by a combined 81 3/4 lengths. On Sunday at Saratoga, he won the Birdstone Stakes, doing so while never appearing to do more than galloping across the track in what amounted to a paid workout. We haven't seen a horse like this for a...

In a stylish defense of his title--though the word feels underwhelming to describe the ease--Next (Not This Time) did what Next does best in the Birdstone Stakes: turning a marathon into a runaway. Racing on appointment only the last couple of seasons, his smallest margin of victory came in his first appearance in the GII Brooklyn Stakes last year, where he defeated SW & MGSP Calibrate (Distorted Humor) by 2 1/4 lengths. His largest came when he wrapped 2023 a 25-length winner in Parx's Sept. 23 GIII Greenwood Cup, but...

Michael Foster's Next (Not This Time) has earned a host of fans with five straight wins in races 1 1/2 miles and over, most recently storming to a 9 3/4-length victory in the GII Brooklyn S. last Friday. Fans may be hoping to see the 6-year-old gelding cut back in distance for a chance to earn a spot in the Breeders' Cup in a race like the 'Win and You're In' GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, but trainer Doug Cowans plans to stick with what is working and will aim...