Health issues grounded Soaring Now during his two-year-old season, but the colt is flying high again as he heads to Saturday’s $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial Invitational for three-year-old pacers at MGM Northfield Park.

Soaring Now heads to the Milstein off back-to-back victories in the Indiana Sire Stakes. For the year, he has three wins and two seconds in seven starts for trainer Aaron Stutzman and owner James Miller of Dixon, Kentucky.

Last year, Stutzman prepped Soaring Now for his rookie campaign before turning the horse over to trainer LeWayne Miller. The colt won his first three races, capped by a 1:51 score in the first leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, but failed to hit the board in his next three starts and saw his season ended for throat surgery.

“He started off real good, but then everything kind of went downhill for him,” said Stutzman. “But he’s come back awesome this year. We didn’t really know what to expect. We were just happy to get him back racing and he’s really come into himself these last three or four starts. He’s been sound and racing good.

“We’re just kind of along for the ride right now. You’ve got to take it when you get it.”

Soaring Now will start the Milstein from post three with driver Joey Putnam and is 8-1 on the morning line. Adios winner Bythemissal, once beaten in eight lifetime races, is the 7-5 favourite and will leave from post five with Chris Page driving for trainer Ron Burke.

Burke also will send out Ronnie Wrenn Jr.-driven JK Victory, who is 9-2 from post four. The gelding was second to Soaring Now in his most recent start on July 22 at Hoosier.

Night Hawk, coming off a third-place finish in the Cane Pace, is the 4-1 second choice, with David Miller driving from post one for trainer Brian Brown. The field also includes Messenger Stakes winner Pleaseletmeknow, who will have Matt Kakaley in the sulky for trainer Travis Alexander. He is 6-1 and will start from post seven.

“It’ll be a good race,” said Stutzman. “It’s going to be fun. The owner is excited, I’m excited about it. It looks like they’re pretty evenly matched. I figure it’s whoever gets the trip. It could work out all kinds of ways. We’ll go try it and see what happens.”

Soaring Now is a son of JK Endofanera-Sunflower, with his dam being a half-sister to Skippin By, who was an Ontario Sire Stakes champion in 2014. Stutzman’s father, Levi, bred the colt at his Luckiana Farm in Indiana. Miller bought Soaring Now for $6,000 at the 2020 Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale.

“He’s got a lot of heart,” Stutzman said about Soaring Now. “And a good gait.”

The Milstein, contested on a half-mile track, will be Soaring Now’s first race away from Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths-mile oval.

“He hasn’t raced on a half, but I train on a half, so he can get around that,” said Stutzman. “He trained awesome [Wednesday], so we’re heading there with confidence and we’ll see what we can pick up. He is razor sharp right now.”

Saturday’s card also includes the $100,000 Tom Aldrich President’s Trot and $100,000 Myron Charna President’s Pace. Both are invitationals for Ohio-sired horses ages four and up. Near-millionaire Its Academic is the 2-1 favourite in the Aldrich while Charlie May, who won last year’s Milstein, is the 7-5 favourite in the Charna over 2021 Breeders Crown Open Pace winner Ocean Rock at 9-5.

The Milstein is Race 10 and will be preceded by the Aldrich (eight) and Charna (nine). Racing begins at 6 p.m. (EDT). For complete entries, click here.

The following is the field for the Milstein Memorial in post order with driver, trainer and morning line odds.

$300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial Invitational Pace 
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line
1. Night Hawk - David Miller - Brian Brown - 4-1
2. Heinikin Bythebay - Aaron Merriman - Kevin Switzer - 10-1
3. Soaring Now - Joey Putnam - Aaron Stutzman - 8-1
4. JK Victory - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke - 9-2
5. Bythemissal - Chris Page - Ron Burke - 7-5
6. Ponda Warrior - Jimmy Whittemore - Jay Hochstetler - 20-1
7. Pleaseletmeknow - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander - 6-1
8. Layton Hanover - Chris Lems - Travis Alexander - 15-1
9. Sport Secret - Billy Davis Jr. - Gregg McNair - 12-1 

(USTA)