Forest Lake, MN — Voting took place at the MHRI annual meeting and banquet on Saturday (Feb. 22) at Vanelli’s by the Lake in Forest Lake, Minn., and MD Magic was chosen as the 2019 Horse of the Year in the sport of harness racing in Minnesota.

MHRI director Cathy Dessert presented the 2019 Minnesota Harness Horse of the Year award to connections Jessica Johnson and Ken Stauffer of MD Magic. Cynthia Ivey photo.

MD Magic also took home the hardware as the champion sophomore male trotter for 2019. The talented gelded son of Braggart is out of the Striking Sahbra mare Magical Debut, and is owned by Set The Pace Racing and trained and driven by Nick Roland.

After picking up honors as the 2-year-old colt Trotter of the Year in 2018 with nine wins in 11 starts and setting a seasonal earnings record in the Minnesota program, MD Magic returned to the races in early May of 2019 with an easy qualifying win in 2:05.1 followed by a 2:01.4 victory in a 3-year-old open to get his sophomore season rolling in style.

MD Magic made a habit of turning in dramatic performances throughout his 2019 campaign. Winning going away (in 2:00.1) from post 10 in the second tier in a $16,000 3-year-old MN event on June 23 was one example, but even more dramatic were three occasions (July 28, Aug. 18 and Sept. 8) where MD Magic appeared to be hopelessly blocked with no racing room, yet perfect timing and patient handling from trainer/driver Roland got the dynamic duo to the winner’s circle time and time again.

MD Magic was unbeatable in July and August in four starts, and closed out his Running Aces season strong in September as well with a win and two close seconds from three outings.

His final tally for 2019 was 16 starts, seven wins, four seconds and one third with a mark of 1:59.2 and earnings of $74,950, yet another seasonal earnings record for the Minnesota program.

Shortly after the banquet festivities, I caught up with Jessica Johnson, one of the principals of Set The Pace Racing (along with Ken Stauffer) and here’s what I learned about her star trotter.

“Magic is probably the star of the barn/stable among all of the caretakers, owners and guests, and it’s not just because he is talented and successful, it’s his personality — he loves people and he loves treats. If you are within his reach he will reach out to you and pull you over to him to give him attention and beg you for carrots or treats.”

Johnson also stated that he loves his outdoor time in the paddock where he runs and jumps and plays. An additional testament to his docile temperament is the fact that when it comes time to give barn guests/race fans a ride on the track in the two-seat jog cart, it’s often MD Magic that is chosen to do so.

One surprising tidbit that Jessica shared is that they (herself, Roland and staff) were not particularly keen on MD Magic’s abilities early on, he just seemed average at best during his early work as a freshman, but she said, “That all changed after his first qualifying race where he really showed a hint of his abilities.”

He indeed continued to show that throughout his 2-year-old season.

Johnson also added that MD Magic “doesn’t require a lot of intense training to stay in top racing form, he mostly puts in lots of slow methodical miles to stay in shape, and he benefits from weekly visits from the chiropractor.”

In addition, Johnson expressed that they are beyond thrilled at the Horse of the Year award and stated “we were not expecting this, but are so honored that our fellow horsemen find him to be as special as we do.”

When I asked what we might expect to see from MD Magic as a 4-year-old in 2020, Johnson responded by saying “He owes us nothing, but I do know he loves his job, we are just excited to be a part of the horse he continues to grow to be.”

MD Magic, with his $145,250 in earnings, is now the most successful offspring of the sire Braggart ($350,949) who took a 3-year-old mark of 1:55f in 2009. Glen Sauder of Withee, Wis. is the breeder for MD Magic, and is the current owner of his sire Braggart.