Larry Roth Great Neck New York Obituary-Death: LNJ Foxwoods Co-Founder Dies at 75 After Cancer Battle

GREAT NECK, N.Y. — Laurence “Larry” Roth, the businessman, Thoroughbred owner and co-founder of LNJ Foxwoods, has died at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer.

Roth died Sunday, September 27, 2026, leaving behind a family and business legacy that stretched across the eyewear industry, horse racing, hospitality and charitable work.

Together with his wife, Nanci, and daughter, Jaime, Roth helped establish LNJ Foxwoods, a family-owned racing and breeding operation that went on to achieve major victories in some of the sport’s most prestigious events.

The name LNJ represented Larry, Nanci and Jaime, while Foxwoods came from the name of the Great Neck street where the family lived.

From Eyewear Business to Thoroughbred Racing

Before becoming widely known in horse racing, Roth built a successful career in the eyewear industry.

He co-founded Marchon Eyewear in 1983 alongside Al Berg and his brother-in-law, Jeff White. The company, based in Melville, New York, grew into a major international eyewear business whose licensed brands included names such as Nike, Calvin Klein, Fendi, Coach and Michael Kors.

Roth remained closely involved with the company as it expanded, eventually serving as co-president and overseeing sales throughout the Western Hemisphere.

In 2008, Marchon was sold to Vision Service Plan in a deal reported at approximately $735 million.

Roth’s success in business later provided the foundation for another family venture that would become an important part of his life.

Building LNJ Foxwoods

The Roth family’s involvement in Thoroughbred racing began through Jaime, who developed a passion for the sport after becoming a fan of champion racehorse Rachel Alexandra.

In 2012, Jaime’s interest in racing led to an introduction to bloodstock advisers Alex Solis II and Jason Litt during a visit to Del Mar. The family soon entered the ownership business, initially purchasing four horses.

Their approach focused heavily on acquiring well-bred fillies, developing them on the racetrack and eventually building a broodmare operation.

The strategy quickly produced results.

LNJ Foxwoods recorded its first graded stakes victories in 2015, including the Grade I Frizette Stakes with Nickname. A year later, Constellation won the Grade I La Brea Stakes.

The family’s most prominent racing success came with Covfefe. In 2019, she won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and was named both champion 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter at the Eclipse Awards, an unusual achievement that placed the LNJ Foxwoods operation among the notable racing partnerships of the period.

Other accomplished horses connected to the Roth family’s stable included United, a seven-time graded stakes winner who finished second in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Turf, and Olympiad, who won major races including the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2022.

LNJ Foxwoods also had an ownership connection to Country House, who was awarded victory in the 2019 Kentucky Derby following Maximum Security’s disqualification.

The family’s breeding program produced further success with Ancient Wisdom, who sold for €2 million at the 2022 Arqana sale before winning the Group 1 Kameko Futurity Trophy Stakes in 2023.

Business, Hospitality and Giving Back

Roth’s interests extended beyond eyewear and racing.

He was part of a group that acquired the historic Adelphi Hotel in Saratoga Springs and helped oversee a major restoration before the property reopened in 2017. He later partnered with Michael Dubb in the acquisition of the neighboring Rip Van Dam Hotel. The properties were subsequently combined and expanded, reopening in 2025 with additional residences and receiving a Michelin Key.

Roth and his family also demonstrated a long-standing commitment to Thoroughbred welfare.

In 2016, they established the Horses First Fund through Thoroughbred Charities of America. The initiative supported horses in need, including animals affected by abandonment and major disasters such as Hurricane Maria and the San Luis Rey Downs fire.

Away from business and racing, Roth and Nanci supported numerous community organizations, including Hospice Care Network, North Shore University Hospital, the Mid-Island Y JCC, UJA, North Shore Child Guidance and the Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch.

Remembered by His Family

For those closest to Roth, his accomplishments were only one part of the story.

His daughter Jaime has remembered her father in terms of the relationships he built throughout his life, including the people he came to know through the horse business and the family venture they developed together.

Roth is survived by his wife, Nanci; daughter Jaime; sons David and Scott; and grandchildren Liv and Poppy.

His death marks the loss of a businessman and racing enthusiast whose career moved from building an international eyewear company to creating a successful family racing and breeding operation.

Funeral services for Laurence T. Roth are scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in Great Neck, with a committal service later that day.

At 75, Larry Roth leaves behind a multifaceted legacy shaped by entrepreneurship, Thoroughbred racing, family, hospitality and philanthropy. For his family, however, his most lasting legacy will remain the relationships he built and the life he shared with the people closest to him.