Top marathoner Next will run in the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 2, trainer Doug Cowans confirmed Oct. 24.
"The horse is doing very well and it's the right time to try 1 1/4 miles with no marathon races remaining for the year," Cowans said.
The decision came Thursday afternoon after Cowans spoke with owner Michael Foster following the 6-year-old Not This Time gelding's five-furlong breeze earlier that morning, which Turfway Park clockers recorded in 1:01.
"Just like butter, everything was smooth," Cowans said of the work. "I feel like the horse is doing really good, that's one of the reasons I'm gonna take this shot."
With regular jockey Luan Machado aboard, Cowans' stopwatch caught the move in 1:00 2/5 while galloping out in 1:12 and change, similar to what Cowans had recorded during his Oct. 16 breeze.
"He may have started off just a hair slower than he did last week, but he finished up real nice and galloped out real nice," Cowans said. "We were all happy with the way he went.
"His works are very similar, we don't try to change it. It's more about (being) just like the race. In the beginning of the (marathon) races, they're a little slower, but we've let him pick it up a little bit the last few times."
Next had been pre-entered in both the Classic and the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), which is held at Next's preferred 1 1/2-mile distance. However, with the brilliance Next has shown racing on dirt, they have opted to keep the surface and experiment with a shorter distance.
Next has won nine of his last 10 starts since moving to the marathon division on dirt. The shortest distance in those victories came this July in the Brooklyn Stakes (G2), which was held at 1 3/8 miles at Aqueduct Racetrack. Next won that race, which is just one furlong longer than the Classic, by 9 1/4 lengths. His 1 1/4-mile fractional time in the Brooklyn was 2:01.79.
Two-Year-Old Turf Runners Record Final Breeders' Cup Breezes At Keeneland
Bregman Family Racing's Totally Justified worked four furlongs in :50 2/5 on Keeneland's main track for trainer Rusty Arnold. Winner of the Aug. 28 P. G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, the Justify filly was nosed out of a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series win in the Oct. 4 Jessamine Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland by May Day Ready. She is pre-entered in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) Nov. 1.
Twin Creek Racing Stables' Chasing Liberty worked four furlongs in :49 2/5 on the dirt for trainer Rob Atras. Winner of the Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs via disqualification, he closed from last to finish fourth in the Oct. 6 Indian Summer Stakes at Keeneland.
The Constitution colt is on the also-eligible list in both the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) and $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T). In the Juvenile Turf, listed as his first preference, he needs three dropouts to join the field. None of the main 14 horses have designated a different race as first preference. In the Juvenile Turf Sprint, he needs two dropouts, and two horses have designated another race as first preference.
Quickick Likely to Bypass Final Breeze Ahead of Juvenile Fillies
As the majority of Breeders' Cup runners rev up for their final workouts to be held over the weekend, one name that may not appear on the work tab is Gregory Tramontin's Quickick.
The daughter of McKinzie is pre-entered for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Following her runner-up performance to Immersive in the Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland Oct. 4, she breezed four furlongs in :48 at Churchill Downs Oct. 15. According to trainer Tom Amoss, that is all he thinks she needs.
"She does a lot during her gallops. She does well going into races fresh," Amoss said. "She's still going to gallop every day and there may be some different speeds to those gallops. Published works, I don't think so. I think we're ready to go."
Should Amoss not change his mind, Quickick will run in the Juvenile Fillies 17 days after her last published workout. She ran in the Alcibiades 13 days after her previously published work.
Nooni, Full Count Felicia Record Five-Furlong Breezes
One of Quickick's competitors in the Juvenile Fillies, Zedan Racing Stables' Nooni recorded a breeze Thursday at Santa Anita Park, covering five furlongs in :59 1/5 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The daughter of Win Win Win won the Sorrento Stakes (G3) at Del Mar in August and most recently was second to stablemate Non Compliant in the Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Oct. 5.
Legacy Ranch's Forbidden Kingdom also worked at Santa Anita Thursday, completing two furlongs in :24 1/5 on the synthetic surface. As the last also-eligible for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), he needs eight defections to race Nov. 2. Trained by Richard Mandella, the American Pharoah 5-year-old has not raced since April.
North of the border at Woodbine, Gold Square's Full Count Felicia covered five furlongs in :57 over the synthetic Tapeta surface. Since joining the Kevin Attard barn and moving to Canada this year, the daughter of War Front is 2-for-3 with victories in the Canadian Stakes (G2T) and E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1T).
