A year ago, the winning margin was 25 lengths, On Saturday, Next strolled to a 10-length repeat victory in the $200,000 Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx Racing.
The win was the seventh in the row for Next, who is 4-0 in 2024 with a combined winning margin in those races totaling 52 ¾ lengths (that’s an average of 13.1 lengths per win).
The 1 ½-mile Greenwood Cup was among several stakes races on the card prior to the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and the $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1).
Next. Parx Photo.
Next Much the best in the Greenwood Cup at Parx
With regular rider Luan Machado aboard, Next stalked the pace set by Ridin With Biden, took the lead around the far turn, stretched the advantage to three lengths with a quarter-mile to go, seven in the stretch, and continued to pull away from eight rivals in the final yards.
“He’s a machine. Business as usual,’’ owner Michael Foster said. “I don’t want to be overconfident or cocky, but it was just like a paid workout.
“We work him harder (than this) every morning. We’re tickled to be back here and win the Cup again. To be able to own this horse is beyond my dreams.”
For those who bet horse racing, the 1-10 favorite returned $2.10 on a $2 win bet.
Foster and trainer Doug Cowans bought Next for $62,500 in April 2022. The 6-year-old gray gelding is now 13-for-23 with earnings of $1,336,361.
After rolling to his 25-length win in the 2023 Greenwood Cup in his final race of the year, Next opened 2024 year with an 11 ¼-length win in the Isaac Murphy Marathon at Churchill Downs on May 1, then won the Brooklyn (G2) by 9 ¼ lengths at Aqueduct on July 5, the Birdstone by 22 ¼ lengths at Saratoga the Spa on Aug. 4, and now a second straight Greenwood Cup.
The big question is whether there’s a Breeders’ Cup race in the future for Next. The only 1 ½-mile race at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Nov. 1-2 is the $5 million BC Turf (G1). He’s run on turf several times before, and Cowans and team will come up with a plan.
“It’s not solely my decision but my gut tells me to stay with the distance and give up the surface (dirt and run on turf) if I would do something like that,’’ Cowans said. “I know you got to face the Europeans (in the BC Turf), and they have a good turn off foot.
“You worry about that. Going to the dirt mile and a quarter (BC Classic) I worry about the pace. We don’t know where we will go but we will see.”
Winning time for the 1 ½ miles was 2:33.61 over a fast track. Magic Michael (12-1) was second, with Treble Clef (56-1) was third.
Machado said: “He was sitting very comfortably off the lead, and that’s happened before, other horses getting the lead on him. When I checked on him early, he was always just going easy. Just me and him. He was just taking me around. I just feel like the passenger. Just let him take me around.”
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
