by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — It seems he is just one of those horses that garnered high expectations right from the beginning and with a perfect record from his first seven starts, the 2-year-old pacing gelding Next Flight In certainly has accomplished all his connections had hoped.

The son of Indiana stallion Panspacificflight and the Ideal Society mare Society Brat, Next Flight In was purchased by Mystical Marker Farms, Mary Jane Anderson, Jack Hood and Peggy Hood for $36,000 at last year’s Indiana Select Yearling Sale. He was the fourth highest priced yearling sold.

In his career debut on June 24 at Hoosier Park in a $6,000 2-year-old race, Next Flight In, who is conditioned by Erv Miller and steered by Peter Wrenn, stopped the clock in 1:58 with a :26.1 final quarter.

The gelding made his next two starts in $15,000 legs of the Abercrombie Series at Hoosier Park, then posted a 1:54.1 victory in the $30,000 series finale.

Linscott Photography

Next Flight In has a perfect record in seven career starts.

Moving on to Indiana Downs, he took on Indiana Sire Stakes competition for the first time in a $40,000 division on August 3. Next Flight In scored in 1:52.1 for his fifth straight win.

He has won his last two starts, also in $40,000 Indiana Sire Stake divisions, in 1:52.1 and 1:53.3.

From his seven races, the gelding has earned $93,000.

“Pretty much from day one he was perfect,” Miller said. “He was very cleanly gaited, had a good attitude and he has all the things he needed to do well. The racing is tough over there (Indiana) and they have some very good horses now, but he really is and always was an exceptional colt.”

The night he piloted him in his first pari-mutuel engagement, Peter Wrenn seconded Miller’s high opinion of the horse.

“He (Next Flight In) has got all the tools to be a good one,” Wrenn said in the winner’s circle post-race. “He has high speed, he’s smart and he has the desire to go. He is everything you look for in a 2-year-old. I was impressed by him; I really liked him a lot.”

There is another attribute that Miller, the 2005 Glen Garnsey Trainer of the Year award winner, feels will serve Next Flight In well for success.

“The best part about him is he can do it from anywhere,” he explained. “He can come from behind or do it on the front end. He’s real easy to train and drive. He’s just so easy to get along with that anybody could really train him.”

For the rest of Next Flight In’s season, he will remain in the nation’s middle states.

“He’ll stay here in the Midwest,” Miller said. “He has the final (for the first Sire Stakes series) this week (September 10) and then he has another (Sire Stakes) series with three more legs and another final. He’s also eligible to the American-National and a couple of other open races over there (at Balmoral Park) as long as he stays sound. He really is a very, very, nice colt that everyone gets along with.”

Below is the field for the Indiana Sire Stakes final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings, one of 10 lucrative ISS finals on the Saturday (September 10) card at Indiana Downs.

$210,000 Indiana Sire Stakes final-2-year-old colts and geldings
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line
1-Be Pacific-Dave Magee-Brian Georges-15-1
2-Next Flight In-Peter Wrenn-Erv Miller-9-5
3-Jammin Joshua-Sam Widger-Ernest Gaskin-5-2
4-Fritz Bow-Mike Peterson-Leroy Slabaugh-2-1
5-Fridaynightflight-Josh Sutton-Roger Welch-7-2
6-Goose On The Rocks-Tyler Smith-Joe Seekman-6-1
7-Looking For Jack-Sam Widger-William Crone-12-1
8-Mykindachip-Dan Shetler-Dan Bowermaster-5-1
9-Brown Titan-Ricky Macomber, Jr.-Jerry Smith-10-1
10-Parklane Prince-Trace Tetrick-Nelson Willis-15-1