Not This Time’s striking gray 4-year-old Next cruised to his second straight stakes victory with a dominating performance in Friday’s $350,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance S. (G2) at Keeneland.

Next seems to have found his forte in the longer distance races. Friday’s official margin in the 1 5/8-mile race was 6 ¼-lengths in near stakes record time. In his previous start, he won the 1 ½-mile Cape Henlopen S. at Delaware Park by 18 ¼-lengths.

Next broke well and took the lead shortly after the start and guided the field through the first half-mile in :49.22. He continued to dictate the pace, with Bal Harbour, his closest pursuer, a length back after a mile. Next began to distance himself from the field going into the final turn and was all alone in the stretch. His final time of 2:42.59 was just .02 off the stakes record and less than a half-second off the track record.

“This horse just wants to find a rhythm all the time and once he finds his rhythm he settles in real nice, and you know trying the mile and a half you never know if it’ll work but it sure it worked like a charm,” trainer William Cowans said.

Cowans added that Next will get some time off before resuming training for his 5-year-old season.

Next, who won the 2021 War Chant S. at Churchill Downs, is 6-0-0 in 15 starts with $564,282 in earnings. He is owned by Michael Foster and was bred in Kentucky by Silverton Hill LLC.

Not This Time leads the 2022 Third-Crop sire list by a wide margin and is in the top 10 nationally on the General Sire list. Next is his sixth graded winner this year. Taylor Made recently announced that Not This Time will stand the 2023 season for $135,000 S&N.