Director
E-mail: tgaines@gainesgentry.com
Born in 1967 in Lexington, Kentucky, Gaines has literally grown up in the Thoroughbred industry. As a pioneer of Thoroughbred stallion syndication, his father, John Gaines, established Gainesway Farm as one of the leading stud farms in the business. He attended Georgetown University where he received a BA in English in 1990.
In 1991, he purchased and became President of KBC International, which is now the largest supplier of pharmaceuticals and horse related products in the State of Kentucky. That same year, Gaines' father and Olin Gentry began exploring bloodstock opportunities while continuing to acquire top broodmares at auction. Over the next several years, they acquired one of the largest commercial broodmare bands in the industry focused on breeding and selling its offspring at public auction.
In the summer of 2000, Thomas Gaines and Olin Gentry acquired the horse assets from John R. Gaines Thoroughbreds to form Gaines-Gentry Thoroughbreds. Gaines-Gentry Thoroughbreds continues to own and manage one of the largest commercial broodmare bands. Gaines and Gentry have additionally acquired the largest portfolio of Thoroughbred stallion shares in the industry, representing the largest direct investment in Thoroughbred stallions of anyone in North America either individually or through an entity. According to Gaines, "We expect to grow our investments in both mare and stallion interests aggressively. Mares and stallions literally drive the business, and we know both areas of the market very well -- perhaps better than anyone."
In addition to the business interests mentioned above, Gaines has assumed a leadership role on many important boards and committees throughout the industry. He has been appointed to serve on two consecutive Kentucky Horse Racing Commissions by two different governors, a 13-member gubernatorially appointed body which governs all of horse racing in the State of Kentucky and of which he is currently a member. He is a founding member of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), developed to promote the interests of Kentucky's signature industry with local and state politicians as well as regionally and at the grassroots level throughout the state. He also serves as chairman of KEEP PAC. Gaines is a Member and Trustee of The Breeders' Cup, Ltd., an industry-wide organization at the national level responsible for, among other things, The Breeders' Cup, Thoroughbred racing's annual world championship event which his father founded in 1982.