Emmanuel, Next Earn Graded Stakes on Belmont Undercard

Late sire More Than Ready is still providing magic moments for WinStar Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher.

Emmanuel , campaigned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm, rated last of six early under Irad Ortiz Jr. in the $200,000 Poker Stakes (G3T) June 10 on the Widener Turf at Belmont Park | BloodHorse.com Track Profile">Belmont Park before surging past rivals to post a neck win over Filo Di Arianna  in the one-mile test for older horses. 

Like many More Than Ready progeny, Emmanuel has raced well on multiple surfaces but has settled onto the green this season. Saturday marked his third graded 3 win this season on the grass.

Trainer Pletcher conditioned More Than Ready during his racing career, capturing four graded stakes from 1999-2000, including the 2000 King's Bishop Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. After his racing career, More Than Ready would become a foundational stallion for WinStar, where he would sire more than 215 black-type winners.

WinStar president, CEO, and racing manager Elliott Walden thought the race was the best effort to date for Emmanuel, who edged early leader Filo Di Arianna with favorite Chez Pierre  finishing third, another half-length behind the runner-up.

"The More Than Readys are still doing it," Walden noted. "It was a really good race. We had a lot of respect for the 1, Chez Pierre, but (Emmanuel) showed up today. It was a little bit different tactic today; Irad wanted to give him a target and it worked out great."

"It's amazing, More Than Ready has been giving to our family for a long time. It's amazing," Pletcher said. "(Emmanuel) has done a little bit of everything. He's pretty good at multiple distances, very versatile. He can go set pace like he did in last year's Pennine Ridge (Stakes, G2T) or he can come from off of it like he did today."

Next Illustrates Speed, Stamina in 1 1/2-Mile Brooklyn

William "Doug" Cowans hoped to make a good claim when acquired Next  from a seven-furlong $62,500 optional claiming race at Keeneland in April 2022 for owner Michael Foster.

Fourteen months later, it is apparent he claimed not just a good horse, but a very good one. Promising right off the bat, winning a claiming race, Next has taken his game to an even higher level as a dirt marathoner.

On Saturday at Belmont Park, he won his third long-distance stakes race in four attempts at 1 1/2 miles or longer in capturing the $250,000 Brooklyn Stakes (G2) in wire-to-wire fashion under jockey Luan Machado. The 5-year-old gelded son of Not This Time   ran 1 1/2 miles in 2:31.01 following leisurely fractions of :50.02, 1:16.12 and 1:41.62.

He scored by 2 1/4 lengths over Calibrate , with Red Run  finishing third and favored Warrant  fourth. The winner returned $8.70 for a $2 wager.

"Everything today went just as we planned," Cowans said. "Go to the lead, slow it down as slow as we could, try to keep a length in front the whole way, and it worked out just like we wanted."

Bred by Silverton Hill out of the Awesome Again  mare Bahia Beach , Next won for the seventh time in 17 races. An upcoming start in the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Race Course July 27 could follow for Next, Cowans said.