Westrock Stables

Fifty-one year old Scott Ford and his dad, Joe, have been partners in business and partners in horses, racing in the name of Westrock Stable. Scott succeeded his father as CEO of Alltel in 1996 and led the communication giant through several major transformations, including the acquisitions of Western Wireless Corporation and 360 Communications, which allowed Alltel to become a national wireless carrier. He led the $27 billion leveraged buyout of Alltell in 2007 and its sale to Verizon Wireless two years later.

Scott is a former chairman of the Little Rock, Arkansas, branch of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, a former board member and chairman of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, and a former director of Tyson Foods, Inc. He serves on the boards of the Arkansas Research Alliance and King’s College in New York City.

Currently, he is partners in Westrock Capital Partners LLC and Westrock Coffee Holdings, which is the official coffee supplier of his hometown track, Oaklawn Park, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Scott was born and still resides in Little Rock. He and his wife have three children.

The Ford family began their involvement in horseracing with Quarter Horses before switching to Thoroughbreds. They became partners in three horses with Dogwood Stable in the mid-2000s before beginning their own stable with the help of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in 2008. They currently have 35 horses with Lukas and another Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

The Fords had considerable success before Secret Compass won the Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita by a head in September. Westrock’s Hamazing Destiny (owned with Barry Butzow) didn’t win his first stakes until the age of six but still earned more than $850,000 thanks to five victories, seven seconds, and five thirds in 33 starts. Their other top horses include Tidal Pool, who made nearly $400,000 off five wins in 24 starts, and Grade 3 stakes winner Decelerator, who was five-for-21 and earned more than $360,000.