Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, Bill Strauss

Roadrunner Racing is a partnership headed by Greg Helm, a former advertising executive and current vice president of Desert Classic Charities. Patrick O’Neill is a 26-year-old Brown graduate and vice president for sales and strategic partnerships at Founder Sport Group. O’Neill, along with Brown University frat brothers and football teammates Eric Armagost, Dan Giovaccini, Reiley Higgins, and Alex Quoyeser, comprise Boat Racing. William Strauss was co-founder and CEO of Proflowers, an online floral boutique, and currently sits on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. A resident of Del Mar, Calif., Strauss has found the winner’s circle as an owner with horses including The Pamplemousse, Turbulent Descent, and Mizdirection.

Gainesway in Lexington combines a rich history with contemporary success like few other stud farms in the renowned central Kentucky breeding region. The farm’s name harkens back to the late John Gaines, one of the most influential figures in the Thoroughbred industry during the 20^th century, who established Gainesway in 1974 and subsequently became a prominent commercial breeder and a thought leader in the industry who originated the concept for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, bringing the hugely popular annual event into existence in 1984.

Today, Gainesway is operated by Antony Beck, the son of the late Graham Beck, who purchased the farm from Gaines in 1989. 

This partnership sent Hot Rod Charlie to the 2021 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, where he finished second. He went on to win the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and has run second in several other important races: the 2020 TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the 2021 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, and the 2022 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline.