By Bill Finley
When it comes to racing, breeding and sales, Justin Wojczynski has done just about everything. He's been a pinhooker, he's broken horses for others and prepared them for the races, he's handled layup horses and he's been a trainer. One might think that's plenty, but Wojczynski is intent on expanding his stable of race horses while keeping his other side jobs.
That might sound like a lot, but it has been made easier by the emergence of the 6-year-old mare Awesome Treat (Awesome Patriot). In her last start, she sprung an upset at 25-1 in the Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint S. at Ellis Park. On Saturday, she'll be looking to take things to the next level when she goes in the $1.5-million GII Ladies Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs.
“This is kind of something I've always wanted to do,” Wojczynski said. “Some circumstances and some jobs led us to pinhooking and 2-year-olds in general. I really enjoyed that and did well at it. We sold some good horses for good money. But when you get away from the 2-year-olds, you have to try to figure the horse out and develop them. At the 2-year-old sales you're all in on one day. It's great if it goes your way that day, but sometimes little hiccups occur. You don't always have the opportunity to show the best of your product, but that's the only opportunity you get. I found that frustrating at times.”
Wojczynski, 41, graduated from Michigan State and initially wanted to be a veterinarian. But he decided to accept an internship from Kentucky Equine Management Internship program and has never looked back. He has worked for Lane's End, Pin Oak, Rusty Arnold, and Ciaran Dunne. He was assistant to pinhooker Cary Frommer and had his first consignment of his own in 2018. That group included Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy) who sold for $61,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. She became a Grade I winner when capturing the 2019 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. Wojczynski bought the filly a year earlier as a yearling for $20,000 at Keeneland September.
Leading up to this year, he started a few horses on his own, opening up his stable in 2020. He has won 12 races. He understands that when it comes to training, he's going to have to accomplish more before people start paying attention. Ricky Sikand, the co-owner of Awesome Treat, believes his trainer is well on his way when it comes to making a name for himself.
“Justin approaches each horse with patience and precision, tailoring his methods to meet their individual needs,” Sikand said. “He will be quick to point out if a horse needs time off at the farm. His ability to build trust and confidence in both horse and rider is remarkable. Beyond his technical skills, Justin's passion for the sport and genuine care for the horses are evident in every session.
“We've seen significant improvements in our horses' performance and demeanor, and the results speak for themselves. Justin's hands-on approach coupled with his well-trained and dedicated team makes for a very well run stable.”
Wojczynski and his wife Gemma are also the co-breeders of Tough Catch (Complexity), a maiden winner at Saratoga slated to run in the GI Hopeful S.
He is based at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, where he has 30 stalls and 12 of those horses are being pointed for the races with Wojczynski as the trainer.
Awesome Treat has already proven to be a break-through horse for Wojczynski. Her win at Ellis was Wojczynski's first stakes victory as a trainer. With $1.5 million on the line Saturday, she'll be facing a much tougher assignment. Awesome Treat, who spends part of her year at Woodbine for trainer Steve Attard, has made 17 starts on the Tapeta surface with three wins. Wojczynski is now focusing on a turf campaign. She is 2-for-4 on the grass.
“She's a super mare and she really tries hard,” the trainer said. “She was always running good on the Tapeta between here and at Woodbine. Sometimes you're a little hesitant to try something else when a horse is doing good. We took a stab with her in a grass race at Keeneland and she won at 51-1. She doesn't have a lot of conditions at this stage, so we focus on stakes races. Was that a big race for us at Ellis Park? Most definitely. Is the next one harder, a little more difficult? Yes. We'll just prepare her and take a shot and do it. I feel good about her being 20-1 in the morning line. She paid $100 at Keeneland and $50 when she won at Ellis Park. I'd probably be a lot more nervous if she was 5-2 or something.”
While every trainer wants a barn full of top horses, Wojczynski is mostly focused on giving each individual horse the attention it needs, while offering a full slate of services to his clients.
“I'd like to have a barn full of horses that are competing at a high level,” he said. “Yes, you want to shoot for that. Everybody loves training top-quality horses. Who doesn't want to play at the top of the game? You just want to be successful with whatever you do and want to produce a good product no matter what you are doing.”
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