Parx roundup: Next, Bentornato Smooth B win undercard stakes

The Next express rolled into Parx Racing again Saturday and rolled out with a second straight dominating victory in the Grade 3, $250,000 Greenwood Cup Stakes.

Michael Foster’s 6-year-old Not This Time gelding stayed perfect on the season and won his seventh straight with a 10-length score in the 1 1/2-mile Greenwood Cup under Luan Machado. Next won his ninth stakes and added the 2024 Greenwood Cup to his 25-length victory in last year’s renewal.

Ridin With Biden, winner of the 2022 Greenwood Cup, took the early initiative and led Next and others through early fractions of 24.96 and 49.94 seconds, 1:16.55. Next cut the deficit up the backstretch and inched within a head of Ridin With Biden to the mile in 1:42.97. Next took over around the far turn and opened up quickly by three lengths past 10 furlongs in 2:09.03.

Next cruised through the lane under a hold from Machado, widening from 7 lengths in midstretch to 10 lengths at the finish. Magic Michael finished second, 5 lengths ahead of Treble Clef in third. Next, the 1-9 favorite in the field of nine, won in 2:33.61.

Trainer Doug Cowans said he was extremely confident going into the race.

“I saw what I expected to see. He has an unusual amount of stamina that no other horses can do. He runs them off their feet early and late. And he keeps it going. Whatever he does, we want to keep him in his own rhythm. When he does that, he is good to go. The instructions are always the same; to get the horse in his rhythm. It doesn’t matter if he is in front or 10 behind. Just get him into his rhythm."

Next added the Greenwood Cup to victories this season in the Isaac Murphy Marathon at Churchill Downs, the Brooklyn Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct and Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga. Claimed by Foster and trainer Doug Cowans for $62,500 in April 2022, Next improved to 13-for-23 and boosted his earnings to nearly $1.34 million.

Foster and Cowans said after the race that they will consider a start for Next in the Breeders' Cup, though the trainer said he was not inclined to shift Next to the turf when he is doing so well on the dirt.

“There are a lot of things that can go wrong in that kind of race," Cowans said. "I am not saying we are against it, but we will sit down and have a big conversation. The thing about the horse is we always want to have fun with him. The money doesn’t matter. We found something the horse likes to do and we want to keep doing it with him. It’s not solely my decision but my gut tells me to stay with the distance and give up the surface (dirt and run on turf) if I would do something like that. I know you got to face the Europeans, and they have a good turn off foot. You worry about that. Going to the dirt mile and a quarter I worry about the pace. We don’t know where we will go but we will see."

Bentornato digs in, captures Gallant Bob Stakes

Trainer Jose D’Angelo captured his second victory on Saturday’s Pennsylvania Derby card when Bentornato won his first graded stakes in the Grade 2, $400,000 Gallant Bob.

The 3-year-old son of Valiant Minister, sent off as the even-money favorite in the field of seven, added his fifth career win and has still never finished worse than third through eight starts for Leon King Stables.

Making just his third start of the year, the Florida-bred was allowed to sit patient in second under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. while Sunny Breeze, the second longest price at 17-1, set the pace to his outside with Alwaysintomischief to his right.

The battle continued at the head of the field through the opening quarter in 22.01 seconds, followed by a half in 45.08 seconds. Rounding the turn into the stretch, Ortiz asked Bentornato for more along the rail and confronted Sunny Breeze, who led in midstretch and past 5 furlongs in 57.24 seconds.

The determined pair battled to the finish with Bentornato getting the advantage by a neck over Sunny Breeze. Buccherino, recovering after a slow start, travelled a mid-pack run and finished a length behind in third. Maximus Meridius, last during the opening quarter of the race, rounded out the superfecta. Alwaysintomischief, Practically Dark and One Sharp Cookie completed the field.

Bentornato gave Ortiz his third victory on the card.

Smooth B, 9, cruises in off-the-turf Turf Monster

Making his 62nd career start, the ageless Smooth B got a perfect trip in the $250,000 Turf Monster Stakes on Saturday at Parx Racing and rolled to an easy win on the way to becoming a million-dollar earner.

Owned by LC Racing and trained by Butch Reid, the 9-year-old Pennsylvania-bred son of Weigelia was content to sit third as Talented Man and Fore Harp battled through a quarter-mile in 22.02 seconds. Those two were neck and neck around the turn, but left an opening on the rail that jockey Mychel Sanchez powered through with Smooth B, striking the lead as they straightened for home and opening up to win by 4 1/2 lengths as the 3-1 second choice.

The winning time was :58.31. Talented Man was second, 3 3/4 lengths clear of Jean Valjean, who took third by a nose.

The race was taken off the turf by Parx management earlier in the card out of an abundance of caution and run at 5 furlongs on the main track, which means this running did not retain its Grade 3 status. The original field of 14 was whittled to five, including one gate scratch.

The Turf Monster was the second win in a row for Smooth B, who broke a 12-race losing streak by winning the Marshall Jenney Handicap Aug. 26 at Parx Racing. With a career line of 62: 12-13-9, Smooth B boosted his earnings to $1,043,447.