This week the Minnesota Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association recognizes Rebecca Babcock as Groom of the Week. The MNHBPA honors an individual that excels in their work with a Winners’ Circle presentation weekly following the first race on Wednesdays.
Rebecca, a native of New York, was “born into the business”. Her uncles trained racehorses at Finger Lakes and her father was a valet for more than two decades. “I love horses,” she offers as her most direct answer to why she has been involved in the sport for so long. She moved to Oklahoma as a grade schooler and eventually worked at tracks in Tulsa and Oklahoma City until graduating high school. She immediately went back east and worked at all of the New York Racing Association tracks as well as Gulfstream Park in Florida. Rebecca also worked at a brood mare farm near Saratoga, the racetrack which she refers to as “the best place to be ever.”
Rebecca has been in the sport most of her life, taking a break only to raise her kids. She has two daughters, 15 and 21. Racehorse trainer is also on her resume. Rebecca trained from 2014 to 2016 and most recently in 2021 when she won one of four starts. An unexpected occurrence left her with no horses to train which is when she met trainer Lynn Rarick at Tampa Bay Downs and began grooming for her. Rebecca accompanied the Rarick barn to Minnesota.
“She’s a rock star,” Rarick says.
