Next seeks to defend title in Grade 2 Brooklyn Stakes

Next, Michael Foster's multiple graded stakes-winner, will look to notch back-to-back scores in the Grade 2, $200,000 Brooklyn Stakes, a 1 3/8-mile marathon for older horses, at Belmont at the Big A on Friday, July 5.

Trained by William "Doug" Cowans, Next was an impressive pacesetting winner of this event last year when held at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park, coasting home by 2 1/4-lengths over Calibrate. This year, Next races at Aqueduct Racetrack for the first time and with one less furlong from last year, but Cowans said his main concern is the same-day ship over from Belmont Park 10 miles east.

The Brooklyn is slated as Race 8 on Friday's nine-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

"I'm a little bit nervous because of the logistics of having to go to Belmont for a few days and then ship over on race day, but everybody has to do it, so we just have to do what we have to do," said Cowans. "It does add a few moving parts there, but he can't be doing any better and is doing great. We've been waiting for this race."

Next arrives from a dominant 6-year-old debut in the Isaac Murphy Marathon on May 1 at Churchill Downs, a race he finished third in last year en route to his Brooklyn coup.

This year, Next would not be denied the victory, rating in second through the early stages of the 1 1/2-mile test before unleashing a devastating turn of foot at the three-eighths pole and kicking clear to a six-length advantage at the stretch call. He widened his margin down the lane under returning pilot Luan Machado to cross the wire 11 1/4 lengths in front in a track record final time of 2:27.93. The effort was awarded a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure, his third time earning that number.

Cowans said Next had shown all the right signs leading into his first race off a near eight-month respite.

"He was coming off a long layoff and we were expecting a big race," said Cowans. "I had him a bit more ready this year than I did last year when he ran third, and we were pretty confident bringing him out. He's held his form for a long time and we gave him the break just because there's no racing for marathoners in the winter."

The Not This Time gray looks to map out a similar campaign to last year that saw him begin his current four-race win streak with his Brooklyn score ahead of a win in the 1 3/4-mile Listed Birdstone in July at Saratoga Race Course, enjoying a near-identical trip to his Murphy win when pouncing from just off the pace to draw off to an 11 3/4-length victory. He closed out his year with another tour de force in September in the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at Parx Racing, drawing off to a 25-length romp over sloppy and sealed footing.

"I don't set up any scenario for the horse," Cowans said of race tactics. "The main thing is to try and get him in his rhythm. I don't care where he's positioned early on. If someone wants to go fast early on, we'll let them go. If they want to go slow, we'll go to the lead. Once he's in his rhythm, we let him do his thing."

Cowans said Next's dominance in the division allows him to continuously post eye-catching performances.

"We try to take good care of him and run him in the right spots," said Cowans. "It's been easy enough on him, so I think he holds his form because he's just well within himself all the time."

Cowans had briefly considered running Next in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban on June 8 at Saratoga Race Course - won by returning rival Crupi - but opted for the Brooklyn to save on trips back and forth from Kentucky.

"I was worried about the pace getting a little hot early on going a mile and a quarter, and secondly I was a little concerned about making two trips to New York from Kentucky in 25 days," said Cowans. "I thought this was the better option, and he's supposed to come back for the Birdstone, too."

Next has breezed consistently over the Turfway Park synthetic since his Murphy score, including a five-furlong move in 1:00.60 Thursday.

"His final work was great," said Cowans. "We let him pick it up just a little quicker than he normally does. I like the synthetic and enjoy training on it because it's consistent all the time."

Next now boasts millionaire status with $1,035,861 in earnings through a 20-10-0-1 record, including a score in the 2022 Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Keeneland. He has hit the board in 8-of-9 starts since being claimed for $62,500 in April 2022 at Keeneland.

"It's meant everything to train this horse," said Cowans. "He's a little bit unique in the way that he has so much stamina, and I've never really had a horse that's run in these kind of marathon races. He's been a lot of fun and we're going to keep being easy with him and hitting those marathon spots. Hopefully, he's around for a few more years."

Machado has the call from post 6.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Crupi [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] looks to double up on Grade 2 victories after a last-out score in the Suburban on June 8 at the Spa. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the son of Curlin notched his first graded victory by a half-length over Bendoog with an off-the-pace trip engineered by Irad Ortiz, Jr. The effort was awarded a 93 Beyer and came on the heels of a troubled trip to Dubai where he finished off-the-board in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in March.

Crupi posted a pair of local Listed scores going nine furlongs when taking the Discovery and Queens County this winter ahead of a close third-place effort in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park where he closed from 14 lengths back under Frankie Dettori to come up 4 3/4 lengths shy of the victorious National Treasure.

C2 Racing Stable, Double B Racing Stables, Paul Braverman and Mach 1 Racing Stables' Lure Him In seeks his first graded triumph on the heels of back-to-back fourths in Grade 3 company for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.

The 7-year-old Khozan gelding was defeated 4 1/2 lengths last out in the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile on May 27 at Lone Star Park, two months after a similar result in the Grade 3 Ghostzapper at Gulfstream. Lure Him In has made his last 20 starts at distances between one mile and nine furlongs, but made each of his 11 starts in 2021 at distances of nine furlongs or longer, including a third in the Grade 3 Tokyo City going 1 1/2 miles over the Santa Anita Park main track.

Mark Cornett of C2 Racing Stable, who bought into Lure Him In before the Ghostzapper, said the bay's back class going long is encouraging for another try at a marathon distance.

"One of the reasons I bought him was to get him to one mile and three-eighths, one-mile and a half races. If you go deep into his form, he's run this distance numerous times and he ran the best races of his career," said Cornett. "At this point in his career, these older geldings, some of them seem to really appreciate extra distance. If you go back and watch his last two races, he was full of run the whole race, just had a couple bad trips. He should be more forwardly placed up here."

Flavien Prat will ride from post 1.

John Holleman's Masqueparade was a close third last out in the Suburban three-quarter lengths back of Crupi and a neck behind Bendoog. Trained by Rob Atras, the Upstart bay has regained his best form since stretching out to marathon distances, led by a determined head victory over Classic Causeway in the 12-furlong Temperance Hill in March at Oaklawn Park when in the care of conditioner Robertino Diodoro. He then moved to the Atras barn to finish a distant third to Next in the Murphy ahead of the Suburban.

Masqueparade, who sold for $180,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, won the Grade 3 Ohio Derby as a sophomore for conditioner Al Stall, Jr. and subsequently was claimed for $80,000 by Holleman in September at Churchill Downs. He has banked $847,976 in earnings through a 20-5-2-5 record.

Kendrick Carmouche will look to engineer a winning trip from post 4.

Completing the field are Besilu Stables' Dai Vernon [post 2, John Velazquez], who finished second to Next last out in the Murphy for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; Robert S. Evans' New York homebred Drake's Passage [post 5, Manny Franco], a last-out winner of the state-bred nine-furlong Commentator on June 9 at Saratoga for trainer Christophe Clement; and Tiffiney K. Veloudis' four-time winning Kentucky homebred Spencer's Boy Luna [post 7, Charle Oliveros], who makes his stakes debut for conditioner Eric Reed.

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