Next, a horse with earnings exceeding $1.3 million and a contender in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic, has been officially retired from racing, according to Blood-Horse. This 8-year-old gelding, trained by Doug Cowans, had been preparing at Turfway Park since February but was unable to return to competition. Known as a specialist in long-distance dirt races, Next missed the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga due to knee inflammation and was sidelined after some workouts before the Greenwood Cup at Parx.
Cowans shared with Blood-Horse that, with only three races planned for the season and missing key workouts before the Greenwood Cup, it felt like the right moment to retire the horse. Regardless of outcomes, retirement was scheduled for the end of the year.
Next, a gelding by Not This Time, achieved 13 wins in 24 starts from age 2 through 6. He broke his maiden for trainer Wesley Ward in his second juvenile start but finished last in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland. As a three-year-old, Next returned to win the black-type War Chant Stakes on turf at Churchill Downs under Ward and Silverton Hill.
In April 2022, after finishing ninth in an allowance race at Keeneland, Next was claimed for $62,500 by Cowans and owner Michael A. Foster. Under Cowans’ guidance, Next secured nine stakes victories at distances of 1 3/8 miles or longer, including the 2022 Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard, back-to-back wins in the 2023 and 2024 Grade 2 Brooklyn Stakes, and consecutive wins in the 2023 and 2024 Greenwood Cup, which was a Grade 3 at that time. His final appearance was a last-place finish in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.
Now retired to a farm in Ohio, Next will start training for a new career with his exercise rider, Amber Hodyka, with hopes to compete in the 2027 Thoroughbred Makeover, according to Cowans.
For more details, visit bloodhorse.com.
This report was first published by Paulick Report on October 1, 2026, originally featured in the Horse Care section. To add Paulick Report as a preferred source, click here.
Fan Take: This retirement highlights the natural progression of a top-level racehorse transitioning to a second career, which is increasingly valued in the industry. Next’s journey underscores the importance of aftercare programs and offers fans hope that champions can continue contributing to the sport beyond the track.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
