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Partnerships, Presented by Taylor Made Partnerships: Rocket Wrench Racing

From bustling cities to quiet rural towns, the potential for achievement and success knows no geographical boundaries. The same goes for Thoroughbred racing partnerships. Successful partnerships are not always born on major circuits like Kentucky, New York, or California. Sometimes they are born in a barn just south of a rural town in Minnesota called Elko New Market.

For Rocket Wrench Racing's managing partner Justin Revak, what started out as a dream one summer while stomping divots on Canterbury Park's turf course has developed into a partnership group on a meteoric rise. From a daydreaming teenager to top-10 owner at his home track, this story proves all you need is for the planets to align and a rocket to get you there.

“It really has been an extraordinary adventure that began over a decade ago when I came across a Craigslist ad offering one percent of a Minnesota-bred 2-year-old colt for $300,” Revak began. “Loving horse racing since I was a kid, I decided to pick up the phone and call the number on the ad. Hell, it was only $300.” The horse's name was Rocket Wrench, an unimpressive dark bay with donkey-like ears and a blaze on his face resembling an open-faced wrench.

The trajectory of the new venture started out with a series of not-so-impressive races, thus the general partner was ready to give up on the horse after the second year. “I still had faith in Rocket, as we called him around the barn, so I agreed to buy him. The next day I brought him to my farm for the winter,” recalled Revak. At the start of Rocket's third season, Justin took to Craigslist himself and looked for nine partners asking $1,000 each. The ad, to his surprise, took. Revak was now the general partner of Rocket Wrench Racing.

Rocket Wrench partner Shawn Valek recalls the day the stars aligned for him. “I was looking for a lawn mower about 12 years ago on Craigslist. I clearly got sidetracked and found an ad for a partnership in a racehorse. The price was $1,000 for a 10% share. I quickly called my friend Joe McBroom and said I had two questions for him. First, I asked him if he would like to go in on this horse. He said, “Yes but what is your other question?” The second question was, “Can you tell my wife you found the ad on Craigslist?” McBroom granted the request, and the first group of partners were on their way.

Justin Revak and Rocket Wrench | Courtesy Justin Revak

McBroom has never regretted that day either. “When your horse is at the top of the stretch, it's absolutely thrilling to me and, the fact that we have a group of friends involved makes it a decidedly social endeavor.”

Revak sent Rocket to Canterbury Hall of Fame trainer Bernell Rhone to see if he could work his magic. On June 30th, 2012, Rocket Wrench Racing officially became a winning partnership as Rocket Wrench pulled away from the field by four lengths and crossed the finish line first.

Since that first win in 2012, Rocket Wrench Racing has amassed over $1,000,000 in earnings, boasts a 28% win percentage, and an in-the-money rate of 64%. “We have always been an aggressive claiming partnership. If a horse we have in the barn can't win or at least hit the board, we will drop him to where they belong,” explains Revak.

The team of trainers still includes Rhone but is now led by Karl Broberg and Tony Rengstorf. “We currently race in multiple states and all our trainers have impressive teams that do the day-in and day-out work that is ultimately responsible for our success,” said Revak. “Karl has taught me so much about finding good claims and we've become a really strong team. If both of us like the same horse, there's a pretty good chance it is going to do well for us.”

Partner Bret Woodson recalls, “I was in a previous partnership with some friends when I lived in Kansas City. It was a decent-sized group that claimed horses mostly in Louisiana. At the time, we were always going up against, and usually getting beat by, trainer Karl Broberg. Now I am a partner in Rocket Wrench Racing with Karl as our trainer. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?”

Plenty of other racing enthusiasts have joined Rocket Wrench Racing in recent years including Lisa Migletz. “After my parents passed away, I wanted to honor them and our tradition of going to races by doing something special,” she said. “After doing some research, I was eventually led to Justin Revak and Rocket Wrench, and I became a partner. It was one of the greatest and most exciting things to ever happen to me.”

Rocket Wrench Racing has zero markups on any of their claiming partnerships and has gone from one group to seven in the last decade and now have 37 different owners. “We have had Canterbury-only groups, groups with higher investment levels, and groups with specific circuits in mind,” said Revak.

“We are currently offering our first Hoosier group to race at Horseshoe Indianapolis in 2024, which is exciting.” Each partnership group has $300 per month set aside to pay for all necessary legal and accounting services. The minimum investment level for a group starts at $2,500 and partners can own anywhere from five percent to 25 percent.

“I work to retain enough capital for each group so that we have few, if any, cash calls while the group is still active,” remarked Revak. “I am proud to say that we haven't had a single cash call since the first group was formed. That is not to say we haven't had swings in the total value from year to year, but overall, I work hard to manage our cash and horses, so I don't have to send out invoices.”

Partner Ida Schneck was drawn to the business model. “What I liked about Rocket Wrench Racing was that it was affordable and had a solid business plan so the risk of having to pay additional fees beyond my initial investment was minimal. Plus, I could own 5% and get an owner's license.”

Rocket Wrench Racing will be moving into the yearling market with Marcus and Crystal Ryan from Mason Springs Farm this year, due to a number of current partners looking for something new to experience.

“I am fortunate to be able to be a part of the main group of owners who have a piece of all the diverse groups within Rocket Wrench,” said partner Woodson. “My wife and I have three adult kids and they are all interested in and supportive of the Rocket Wrench partnership. Our four-year-old grandson has already been in the paddock and the winner's circle on numerous occasions, and we are hoping for many more as the years progress.”

Chris McCarron, Angel Cordero, and Justin Revak | Courtesy Justin Revak

Revak not only has learned that partnerships are the best vehicle to introducing new owners to the industry, but also that new owners expect more from the industry as it relates to racehorse aftercare and supporting the people who live and work in the stable areas.

Nebraska native 29-year-old Derek Drews is one of those partners. “I love being able to take family and friends to the barns to feed the horses,” he said. “Watching horses train in the morning is something special to see. Justin has always been great about getting myself and my family involved with the entire experience of ownership. Rocket Wrench participates and supports many of the charitable organizations, such as the Leg Up Fund down at the track. Yes, our ownership group is managed as a business, but we believe in much more than just winning races.”

Revak and several Rocket Wrench Racing partners unintentionally started a campaign in 2021 to buy air conditioner units for the dorms at Canterbury Park. “It was a sweltering summer, especially for Minnesota, and I went out and bought a couple of air conditioners at Home Depot for our groom's dorm rooms. Before I knew it, the HBPA, and the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association (Minnesota's breeding organization) and our partners chipped in even more money. Home Depot gave me a discount to help and away we went,” recalled Revak.

The giving did not stop there. Rocket Wrench Racing is a generous supporter of Jockeys and Jeans, the Leg Up Fund, and an exciting new organization that operates at Canterbury Park called Abijah's on the Backside. Sally Mixon, the founder of Abijah's, summarized the program. “Abijah's is the bridge between the racing industry and community wellness, pairing off-track Thoroughbreds with counselling professionals who are trained in a mental health experiential framework called ARCH. Justin and Rocket Wrench Racing have been big supporters of the work we do not only with horses and horse people, but also local first responders who participate in the program.”

The Rocket Wrench Racing story has now come full circle as the very first horse to launch this partnership, Rocket himself, is now one of the horses providing care for the clients of Abijah's. “It's cool being able to see Rocket work with people who need help, plus I get to see him most of the summer,” said Revak. “It is fun to look back at winner's circle photos on my wall from 2012 when my kids were eight and six and Rocket won his first race for us, until now when they are all grown up. My family and these horses are so important to me. The whole thing is wild. This horse, and this partnership has brought so much to so many.”

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In His New York Swan Song, Golden Oldie Greeley And Ben Looks For 26th Career Win In Gravesend

Forty-two starts into his career and with 25 wins, Greeley and Ben (Greeley's Conquest) is in top form as he will look to close out 2023 with a win over four rivals in Saturday's Gravesend S. at Aqueduct. It will, however, be his last ever start at an NYRA track, where horses who are 10 or older are not allowed to compete. That's fine with his connections. They can race him next year at just about anywhere else and are confident that the story of one of the true iron horses in the sport will continue for some time.

“I think he's a long way from being done,” said trainer Horacio De Paz.

It's easy to see why De Paz doesn't think that age has caught up with Greeley and Ben and why he'll be bringing the horse back off of just one week's rest in the Gravesend. Greeley and Ben won last year's GIII Fall Highweight H. at the advanced age of eight and, after a layoff of nearly 12 months, has come back running this year. After finishing sixth in an allowance race at Laurel, he's won two straight, including the Dec. 23 Dave's Friend, also at Laurel.

Greeley and Ben began his career racing for trainer John Ortiz and won six times before being claimed for just $10,000 on March 7, 2021 by Karl Broberg. He won 13 of 17 starts for Broberg before he was claimed again and wound up in the barn of David Jacobson. He made three starts for Jacobson, his last in a 2022 $40,000 claimer at Saratoga. It was there that he caught the attention of his current owner, Darryl Abramowitz.

“His age didn't bother me,” Abramowitz said. “This game is about dreams and taking chances. I thought that for $40,000 the worst-case scenario was we'd have to drop him into a $20,000 claimer and we'd win and get our money back. You only live once.”

So Abramowitz spent the $40,000 to claim a horse who was eight at the time and, at least according to his Beyer numbers, was starting to slow down. Little did he know that the future for the gelding would include four wins in his next seven starts and two stakes wins, including his first graded stakes victory in the Fall Highweight.

“He's a combination of Mike Tyson and Cal Ripken,” Abramowitz said. “He's an iron horse and he's a fighter.”

Greeley and Ben | Coglianese

After winning the Fall Highweight, Greeley and Ben disappeared, but that would not prove to be the end of his career.

“He's an old war horse and as time has gone on he has come up with a few leg issues,” Abramowitz said. “Nothing serious. He just needed the time to heal up. Would other people spend 352 days on the shelf and spend all that money while he wasn't racing? I don't think so. I could have brought him back earlier, but if we did, we'd have to have dropped into a lower level of claimers. We coaxed him along and gave him the time that was necessary. He's sound and he's solid right now. With the way he's going he could keep running for another two years. This guy loves to run. He just thrives on it.”

Abramowitz initially had the horse with Jeffrey Englehart and then moved him into the barn of Faith Wilson for the Fall Highweight. The next move was to give him to De Paz, who has had him since September. Greeley and Ben could do no better than to finish sixth in his return race, but De Paz was not discouraged.

“When we got him he had to build back the foundation that he had lost,” the trainer said. “He carries good flesh, so we had to work past that. In his first race back, we figured we'd give him a race rather than just breezing him. We thought a race would do him more good than breezing him every week. That first run showed he still wanted to compete. He just got tired.”

Twenty-two days later, he won the allowance and followed that up with the win in the Dave's Friend, which upped his career earnings to $981,138. After that start, De Paz and Abramowitz started searching for a race. On whether they should enter him in the Gravesend, it came down to the question of, why not?

“That we're running here doesn't have anything to do with the rules in New York,” Abramowitz said. “We were watching nominations for this race and knew there would be a small field and I didn't think the race would be that difficult. At Laurel, he ran three solid furlongs. It was like having a spectacular workout. For the first three furlongs he was in the back just enjoying himself and having a good time. I knew he was going good and Horacio told me he's better than ever and is going extremely good. We looked at all the factors, like the $150,000 purse, and decided to give it a go.”

Abramowitz is so bullish on the gelding's future that he said if the horse runs well in the Gravesend he will consider sending him to the Middle East–Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

First though, they have to get past the Gravesend. On paper, Greeley and Ben is stepping up in class and could have a tough time in the six-furlong stakes. But Abramowitz doesn't think that will be the case.

“He fits in this race and I think he might surprise a lot of people,” the owner said.

Win or lose, Greeley and Ben's place in the sport has already been assured. Where else can you find an active 9-year-old who is still at the top of his game and has won more races than he has lost?

“It's a tremendous story,” De Paz said. “He's run at all these different racetracks and has run for different trainers and he's been honest for everyone who has had him. He's just a special horse.”

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Asmussen, Elliott Top Remington Standings

Steve Asmussen captured an unprecedented 18th training title at Remington Park, while Stewart Elliott won his first riding title at the Oklahoma track which concluded its 2023 meeting Saturday.

“All the credit goes to [assistant trainer at Remington Park] Pablo [Ocampo],” Asmussen said Friday night when he was on hand as Otto the Conqueror earned 10 Kentucky Derby points with his by win in the Springboard Mile. Asmussen also won the GIII Oklahoma Derby with How Did He Do That earlier in the meet.

“Pablo deserves it for all 18 titles,” Asmussen continued. “It has been a great association with him all these years. I've worked with him here since 1989 and I am extra fortunate to have had him. Winning the first one is one of my fondest memories and I love coming here.”

Elliott captured 74 wins at the Remington meet, 29 more than runner-up Lindey Wade. Elliott, who won the 2004 GI Kentucky Derby aboard Smarty Jones, made Remington Park his regular fall stop in 2019.

“I'm thankful I've had a lot of support here at Remington with Steve [Asmussen] loading me up with live horses and all the other trainers,” said Elliott. “I'm fortunate I have had such good business here and my agent Scott Hare gets a lot of the credit.”

In the owners' standings, Karl Broberg's End Zone Athletics, Inc., of Mansfield, Texas, won its second title in a row and third in the last five years. End Zone was responsible for 18 wins this meet, five more than runner-up L and G Racing Stables (Silvia Castillo) at 13.

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Torres Off to Sizzling Start at Oaklawn

Last year's meet at Oaklawn Park was not a particularly good one for jockey Cristian Torres. Largely unknown on the circuit when he came in and sidelined for the last five weeks of the meet when fracturing his right ankle in a spill, he won just 19 races, ending up 15th in the standings. Fast forward some eight months later and Torres is tearing the place apart. Two weeks into the meet, he's the leading rider with 11 wins and is winning with 33% of his mounts.

“We've started off on the right foot and it's been a great two weeks,” Torres said. “We're just trying to keep the momentum going and I just want to keep winning races. I'm riding for Robertino Diodoro and he has a good barn, a good team behind him and has his horses ready. He's doing an unbelievable job and so is Karl Broberg, who I'm riding for. It's a tough meet. There are a lot of good riders here so you have to be at your best.”

Torres is staying humble and maybe that's because the 25-year-old remembers where he came from. Too heavy to be accepted into the jockey academy in his native Puerto Rico, he trained to be en exercise rider after graduating from high school.

“I was in the exercise riders program at the school,” he said. “The weight in Puerto Rico is lower than here for bug boys. To be in the school, you have to weigh around 103, 105. That was too low for me. So I decided to go into exercise riders' program because you can be heavier. We basically learn the same thing, except the exercise riders are in the school for one year and the jockeys are in it for two years. In the second year, the jockeys ride in practice races. The exercise riders don't need that.”

Torres came to the U.S. in 2017 and galloped horses for two years before he decided to give being a jockey a try. He went on a crash diet, lost over 20 pounds in three months and started off at Gulfstream as an apprentice in 2019. In Florida, he cracked the top 10 in the standings but showed no signs of becoming the budding star he is today.

“I did pretty good as bug boy, but after I lost my bug the business went down,” Torres said. “I wanted to go somewhere else where I could get a fresh start.”

On the advice of agent Ruben Munoz, Torres came to Oaklawn at the start of the 2021-2022 meet and while he didn't win a lot of races, he began to make connections and lay down roots. From there, he went to Lone Star Park, but missed the first four weeks of the meet because of the broken ankle. Once healthy, he began to start riding winners and finished the Lone Star meet with 19 wins, good for eighth place in the standings.

The next stop was Remington Park.

“I had high expectations at Remington because of the way we finished up at Lone Star,” Torres said.

But never could he have expected what was to come. With 71 wins, he was the leading rider at Remington and won with 25% of his mounts. A key was connecting with Broberg, Remington's leading trainer, and Diodoro, who finished fifth in the Remington standings.

“He has quite a few things going for him,” Diodoro said. “He's got no issues behind the scenes. He's just a hardworking kid and is only 25 years old. He's a very patient rider, especially for being as young as he is. He's very grateful for things. He stays even. He can walk out of that jocks room having won three races or going 0-for-6 and nothing changes. When things don't rattle a rider, they are very patient, their weight is good and they have the right attitude that adds up to being a successful rider. At Remington, he got some live mounts from us, he got some from Broberg and some from other guys and he took full advantage of it. It's carried on to Oaklawn. A rider can work as hard as they want if you don't have the stock that makes things pretty difficult. He got some live mounts and took full advantage of it. He's on his way now.”

Staying on top at Oaklawn won't be easy. David Cabrera, Francisco Arrieta and Ricardo Santana Jr. were the top riders at last year's meet and all three are back and in position to have strong campaigns. He also doesn't ride regularly for Steve Asmussen, the dominant trainer at Oaklawn. Torres says he's ready for the challenge.

“I feel I'm a better, more confident rider than I was a few years ago,” he said. “But I still have lot to learn. I've been riding for just 3 1/2 years. But since I moved to Oaklawn last year I feel that I am a better rider. I'm feeling more confident and am getting more opportunities.”

After Oaklawn, he will return to Lone Star and then to Remington. That's the plan for now, but he admits he has an eye on trying to break in on one of the major circuits, New York, Kentucky or California.

“We're just trying to keep building our business,” he said. “My agent [Cody Autrey] and I are working together and hope to keep building so that we're in a good position if I decide to make a move. But riding at the top tracks, that's definitely a goal.”

At Oaklawn, he's already proving he can win at a top-tier track. And the best may be yet to come.

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