Michael Foster\u2019s horse, Next, enters the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic on an impressive streak of seven consecutive wins, amassing a margin of over 90 lengths. Next missed the entire 2025 season due to unfavorable weather and a limited race schedule that didn\u2019t suit the horse\u2019s preferred pace style, as the son of Not This Time thrives in longer distance races. However, there\u2019s hope for a return in 2026 for this marathon specialist.<\/p>\n
Trainer William Cowans shared with bloodhorse.com that Next, turning 8 on January 1, is expected to resume training at Turfway Park with breezing planned in the weeks ahead. Cowans noted that Kentucky\u2019s harsh winter slowed Next\u2019s preparation for the 2025 season, and a minor illness in February caused further setbacks. As a result, Next did not participate in his usual season opener, the Isaac Murphy Marathon Overnight Stakes during Kentucky Derby week.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the NYRA’s choice to cancel the Brooklyn Stakes\u2014a marathon race\u2014due to construction at Belmont Park also impacted Next\u2019s racing options. This left just two possible races on the horizon: the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga in August and the G3 Greenwood Cup at Parx in September. Both were ultimately deemed poorly timed for Next\u2019s return, prompting a decision to wait and target the 2026 season instead.<\/p>\n
Cowans explained, \u201cOur plan is to rejuvenate him, and if he doesn\u2019t show his old form, we\u2019ll retire him. If he\u2019s ready to come back, we\u2019ll target the Isaac Murphy since it\u2019s close by and has traditionally marked his comeback. We\u2019ll let the horse guide us\u2014it all depends on how he feels. If he\u2019s not the same horse, then he won\u2019t make a return.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cowans claimed Next on April 16, 2022, paying Keeneland $62,500. A Columbus, Ohio native with about 50 horses under his care at Turfway Park and the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Cowans decided to claim Next after observing several of his races. \u201cThere were a few reasons,\u201d Cowans told the media ahead of the 2024 Breeders’ Cup. \u201cI\u2019d seen him run several times at Turfway, and although he lost some key races, he was a great fit for our stable, and I thought we\u2019d enjoy having him. I never imagined he would turn out special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cowans added, \u201cEarly on, we noticed his extraordinary stamina and knew there was something unique about him. We took a different approach, trying longer distances\u2014like the mile and a half race at Ellis Park, where he showed promise. He had tremendous endurance, and that turned out to be the key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, Next has won 13 out of 24 races in his career and earned $1,336,361.<\/p>\n
This article was first published by Paulick Report on December 14, 2025, and appeared in their News section. You can select the Paulick Report as your preferred news source for horse racing updates.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Fan Take: Next\u2019s potential comeback is thrilling news for horse racing enthusiasts because it highlights the resilience and longevity of marathon race specialists. If he returns strong, Next could inspire a renewed appreciation for endurance races and add excitement to the sport\u2019s future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Michael Foster\u2019s horse, Next, enters the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic on an impressive streak of seven consecutive wins, amassing a margin of over 90 lengths. Next missed the entire 2025 season due to unfavorable weather and a limited race schedule that didn\u2019t suit the horse\u2019s preferred pace style, as the son of Not This Time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2955],"class_list":{"0":"post-32869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-horse-racing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}