“Turning for home it looked like we could win. If you asked me six months ago if I would take third in the Kentucky Derby, I’d be thrilled,” Strauss said. “We had some high expectations going into Kentucky. Hot Rod Charlie did not disgrace his connections in the “Run for the Roses,” finishing a length shy of victory in third. It was Joel’s idea to send him to the front, and as you can see it worked out perfectly.” When we came to New Orleans, he was fitter and tighter. ![]() The goal wasn’t the Bob Lewis in February, it was the Kentucky Derby in May. ![]() Young horses need time off after the big race he had run that day,” Strauss said. “After the Breeders’ Cup, we gave him some time off. Lewis in January at Santa Anita ahead of a two-length triumph in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds Race Course, where jockey Joel Rosario sent him straight to the front and never looked back. Hot Rod Charlie carried his effort into a close third in the Grade 3 Robert B. Strauss and company felt the opposite of embarrassed once the race was over when Hot Rod Charlie ran a strong second to Belmont Stakes-rival Essential Quality in the Juvenile. I don’t think I had ever had a horse in a race at 94-1.’” When a horse is two, they change so much from race to race, and he was changing so much in front of us day to day and week to week, but looking at the odds I was thinking ‘Gosh, I hope we don’t get embarrassed. “He was training well and he fit numbers-wise, so we decided to take a shot. His numbers matched up pretty well with the rest of the field,” Strauss recalled. “He was competitive based on that first race he won. Hot Rod Charlie arrived at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as the longest shot in a field of 14, going to post at 94-1 odds. “He was training sensationally coming out of that race. That’s when he sprang up and ran a different race,” Strauss said. ![]() “We had tried different things with him, but things didn’t click until his fourth start, where we went two turns on the dirt with blinkers on. He had previously tried his luck in a pair of turf maiden special weights at Del Mar. Hot Rod Charlie, a $110,000 purchase 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, added blinkers when graduating at fourth asking in October traveling one-mile on the main track at Santa Anita. It’s a complementary relationship and it’s been such a fun ride.” “They’re kids at heart and they’re bringing that same energy that we’re bringing. I have to give a lot of credit to Bill and Greg Helm,” O’Neill said. While Strauss and Helm are seasoned veterans, the 28-year-old Patrick O’Neill and his four college friends bring fresh faces to the game. ![]() “It’s been a joy to be partnered with them and Bill, as well.” They’re terrific people, true gentlemen and great fun to be with,” said Helm. I have terrific respect for the Boat Racing guys. Prior to Roadrunner Racing, Helm and his wife Glenna were a part of racing syndicates on the west coast. Helm, a semi-retired ad executive, races under the Roadrunner Racing moniker with friends from San Joaquin Country Club in California. It’s nice when you hit your 60s and you’re still making new friends.” We all come from different life experiences, but when it comes to plotting out how to campaign ‘Charlie’, we come to an agreement,” said Strauss, 62. “Our backgrounds are so diverse and so different. Strauss, the founder of, enjoyed top-level success as co-owner of graded stakes winners Turbulent Descent, The Pamplemousse and two-time Breeders’ Cup-winner Mizdirection. The difference in generation is noticeable, but they all share a passion for horse racing. Strauss and Helm bring years of knowledge and wisdom to the table, while the youngsters from Boat Racing provide youth, energy and charisma. Trained by Doug O’Neill, the son of 2013 Preakness winner Oxbow is owned by Bill Strauss, Greg Helm and Roadrunner Racing, as well as Boat Racing, which is headed by the conditioner’s nephew, Patrick O’Neill, and made up of five friends who met when playing football for Brown University – Dan Giovacchini, Reiley Higgins, Alex Quoyeser and Eric Armagost. Smith)Ī varied ownership group spanning multiple generations will be on hand at Belmont Park to cheer on Hot Rod Charlie in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. was injured on Thursday and will miss Belmont Stakes weekend / Photo by Holly M.
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