Marathon Specialist Next Primed for Greenwood Cup

Not often will one find a United States racehorse entered in a 1 1/2-mile race who is cutting back in distance. Such is the case with Michael Foster's 5-year-old gelding Next , who enters the Sept. 23 Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx Racing off a 1 3/4-mile win at Saratoga Race Course.

Next, a son of leading fourth-crop sire Not This Time   trained by Bill Cowans, comes into the Greenwood Cup off an 11 3/4-length runaway in the July 27 listed Birdstone Stakes, which was his fourth stakes win in races of 1 1/2 miles or longer since September 2022. This record has made Next the 8-5 morning-line favorite against seven challengers. He breaks from post 6 with Luan Machado aboard.

Only two entrants have already won at 1 1/2 miles: last year's Greenwood Cup winner, Ridin With Biden , and Temperence Hill Stakes winner Calibrate .

Ridin With Biden and Calibrate come into the Greenwood Cup off 1-2 finishes, respectively, in a 1 1/4-mile allowance race at Parx Aug. 23. They were separated by three-quarters of a length.

Riden With Biden, who is raced by Cash Is King and LC Racing, is a 5-year-old gelded son of Constitution  . He's won three of five starts this year with trainer Robert Reid Jr. He's won seven times and placed four times out of 14 career starts at Parx.

Calibrate, a 5-year-old gelding by Distorted Humor, has won or placed five times out of eight starts this year. Besides his win in the Temperence Hill Stakes at Oaklawn Park, he was second to Next in the Brooklyn Stakes (G2) and third in the Monmouth Cup (G3) to Proxy  and Whelen Springs . Calibrate was claimed for $50,000 in March 2022 by Josh Engel from Winchell Thoroughbreds and is now raced by Engel, Rick Engel, Greg Armatys, and Chelsey Badura. He is trained by Jamie Ness.

Gunite Has Class Edge in Dirt Mile

Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Gunite  brings strong credentials to the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile Stakes, a listed stakes for 3-year-olds and up. The 4-year-old son of Gun Runner   is the most accomplished of three graded stakes winners in the field and the only grade 1 winner.

With trainer Steve Asmussen this year, Gunite has three wins and never been out of the money in six starts. He comes into the Parx Dirt Mile off a 1 3/4-length win in the Forego Stakes (G1) over Elite Power  and High Oak . He will break from post 5 under his regular rider, Tyler Gaffalione.

Shortleaf Stable's homebred Whelen Springs also comes in off a graded stakes win, having taken the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park by half a length. The 4-year-old son of Street Sense   is trained by Lindsay Schultz and will be ridden by Jose Ferrer from post 6. Ferrer has been aboard for two wins and a second in the last three starts.

The third graded stakes winner in the race is Dr B , a 5-year-old mare by Liam's Map   who won last year's Go for Wand Stakes (G3) by 4 1/4 lengths. She has not won since but has a couple of seconds in the Vagrancy Stakes (G3) and Honorable Miss Handicap (G2). Frankie Pennington has the mount breaking from post 7. Dr B has the same owners and trainer as Ridin With Biden.