Trot Insider has learned that 2015 Fan Hanover winner Wrangler Magic has been sold and will be making her first start for her new connections on Friday night.
After retiring older pacing mare Yagonnakissmeornot, Rene Allard has purchased Wrangler Magic and she'll make her debut for Team Allard tonight (January 13) at Yonkers Raceway.
"We retired Yagonnakissmeornot and I was looking for a good mare for the higher end, hopefully. When we bought 'Kissme' we were looking for a higher-end mare and that's the same thing we expect from Wrangler Magic, to have a higher-end mare," Allard told Trot Insider. "I didn't have any higher-end, quality mares other than Rock N Roll Xample and I was looking to get another one. I was looking at the entries and results all over North America, trying to find one.
"I've always liked that mare, she won the Fan Hanover as a three-year-old and she showed up a couple of times against some real mares. She did some damage. She's big, great-looking and has got some potential so we took a shot."
In 47 starts over the past three seasons, Wrangler Magic (Mach Three - Ja El Shamrock) has amassed a summary of 10-8-9 with a mark of 1:50.2s and earnings approaching $850,000. Allard will look to add to that bankroll substantially with Yonkers' Blue Chip Matchmaker Series on his radar.
"After purchasing her we took her to Flamboro [Downs] and schooled her a mile behind the gate. She got around the turns great, we were happy about that."
Allard hopes that lightning can strike twice with the purchase of a high-calibre pacing mare early in her five-year-old season. That same angle paid off in spades when Allard plucked Yagonnakissmeornot from the January Select Mixed Sale in 2014. Her five-year-old season was her best for wins and earnings, after a drop off at age four from the sophomore campaign. Allard is hopeful that Wrangler Magic can maintain some of that stakes-winning form and hopefully blossom into a more competitive stakes performer with that additional season of maturation.
"She's probably a notch below Grand Circuit but you can't buy Grand Circuit horses usually," said Allard. "I like the angle of four turning five, the four-year-old [year] is always a tough year....I don't like the angle of three turning four, the four-year-old year is always very hard.
"I wasn't concerned. She had a good year [at four] but she didn't have a great year, but you kind of expect that."
The majority of Wrangler Magic's starts at four came in the Fillies & Mares Preferred class on the WEG circuit. She did step up to stakes competition a handful of times, proving victorious in her Milton elim.
"She caught my eye this summer when she won as a longshot in an elim of the Milton, and then I watched her a few weeks ago when Yves Filion drove her. He came first over and she won the Preferred, she was tough that day. Those were the two races that caught my eye the most, and she won the Fan Hanover as a three-year-old."
Allard admitted that the purchase wasn't an easy one, as he was pursuing a horse that wasn't actively being shopped.
"She was not for sale, I was the one that called and said 'hey, I'd like to buy the mare' and the first answer I got was 'no' and then they said 'well, we'll get back to you on it, she's not really for sale.' Then a week, 10 days later I get a phone call saying 'maybe we'll consider selling her.' It took a couple of weeks to get the deal done but we bought her and I'm happy to have her."
Wrangler Magic makes her first start for Allard and co-owner Kapildeo Singh of N.Y. on Friday night, leaving from Post 2 in the evening's fifth race.