Zipse: Brooklyn-bound Next is a throwback to times gone by

There was a time when stamina was revered in American racing. Those days are gone.

Titans of the turf Gallant Fox, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Citation, Nashua, Kelso, Buckpasser, Damascus, Shuvee and Forego are just some of the greats who proved their mettle by winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup during a 55-year long stretch when it was run at a full two miles.

That once-proud race saw a decrease in distance in 1976, and it can be argued that American racing has been on a slow and steady decline ever since.

These days, staggering to the wire first in a race of 10 furlongs is considered going the distance. It truly is a sad state of affairs.

Racing has become secondary to breeding. Durability, soundness and stamina all have grown to be of less importance. In today’s racing, where speed is king, horses who excel running long on the main track are little more than afterthoughts on the national landscape. One such horse is Next.

Flourishing at distances of 1 1/2 miles or more, Next has become a dominant force in what boils down to a forgotten division. You will not find his name in any discussion of America’s best horses.

A throwback to days gone by, I wonder what he needs to do to escape from relative anonymity.

So good at going the distance, Next will need to prove that he can cut back to the relative sprint distance of 1 3/8 miles when he headlines the field for Friday’s Grade 2 Brooklyn Stakes at Aqueduct.

Not surprisingly, his story is more a marathon than a sprint, and it continues to unfold.

Sired by one of the most versatile stallions in the nation, the striking gray son of Not This Time was claimed out of a Keeneland sprint for $62,500 by trainer Doug Cowans for owner Michael Foster in spring 2022.

Although he had demonstrated enough promise to run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile two seasons earlier, the claim was a bit of a risky bet on a one-time stakes winner seemingly going nowhere fast.

Stretched out to nine furlong in his first start for his new barn, Next came home a handsome winner on the Churchill Downs turf. He would race only once more on the grass before fate would intervene.

Entered in the Cape Henlopen Stakes in September 2022, the weather didn’t cooperate that afternoon, and the race was taken off the turf. Contested at 12 furlongs on a wet-fast main track, the 4-year-old gray gelding ran off the screen at Delaware Park and won by 18 1/4 lengths.

Given that eye-catching success, Cowans and Foster wisely have kept him running long on the dirt ever since.

In his last seven starts, Next has won easily in six stakes races at distances ranging from 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 miles.

His only loss in the stretch was a third-place finish in the Isaac Murphy Marathon Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs last spring in his 5-year-old debut. He rectified that defeat by winning the same race by 11 lengths in his first start of 2024.

In the six victories during the stretch, Next has won at six tracks and by an average margin of more than 12 lengths. In his last three, the average winning margin moves up to a whopping 15 2/3 lengths.

His most prestigious win in the bunch was the 2023 edition of the Brooklyn Stakes, which was run at the usual distance of 12 furlongs at Belmont Park. Because of renovations at that racecourse, this year’s race will be moved to Aqueduct and shortened by one furlong.

An attempt at a second straight win in the historic Brooklyn should offer a real test for the long-distance star.

In running at Aqueduct for the first time in his career, he will be going shorter than he has in nearly two years. He also will have to deal with the talented Crupi. The son of Curlin has won three stakes races in New York in his last five starts, including a late-running score in last month’s Suburban (G2) at Saratoga.

Although Crupi has developed into a nice horse, this race begins with Next. With a career record of 10 wins from 20 lifetime starts and $1,035,861 in earnings, he has earned the role of horse to beat on Friday.

If Next never runs again at a distance as short as the 11-furlong Brooklyn Stakes, it should not be looked upon as a negative.

Born a few generations too late, his connections have learned where he can be at his best. Next can run all day long, and doing that, he is very, very good.