Catesby W. Clay, who ran Runnymede Farm in Paris, Kentucky, for more than six decades in what is now a four-generation family operation that dates to 1867, died peacefully in his sleep Sept. 29 at age 101.
The Blood-Horse first reported Catesby Clay's passing, citing confirmation from his son, Brutus Clay III, who is Runnymede's chief executive officer.
Brutus Clay told the Blood-Horse that his father, the farm's chairman emeritus, died in the same home and in a room beneath the one in which he was born more than a century ago.
As TDN's Chris McGrath wrote in a 2023 profile of the Clays, “The history of this family is a prism for the history of Kentucky; and much the same might be said of Runnymede, as a bedrock of the evolving American Thoroughbred.”
After the Civil War, Col. Ezekiel “Zeke” Clay was gifted the family property by his father, and he named his new estate Runnymede after the site in England where the Magna Carta was signed. A decade later, Zeke Clay began breeding Thoroughbreds, and Runnymede's early equine standouts included Hanover, Agile, Ben Brush, Buddhist and Sir Dixon.
His grandson, Catesby Clay, a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Diplomacy, took over the farm's operations in the 1950s. According to a profile on Runnymede's website, during his tenure as Runnymede's president, Catesby Clay enhanced the farm's tradition of breeding top Thoroughbred racehorses.
Individually and in partnerships, Runnymede has bred more than 50 stakes winners, including 20 graded winners, five Grade I winners and a champion and earner of more than $8-million. Under Catesby Clay's leadership, the farm's breeding success was extended internationally, beginning in Europe in the 1970s with Full Extent, and eventually to Japan, where Agnes Digital reigned as champion in 2001.
Catesby Clay's many industry posts included appointments to Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and to the board of directors of Churchill Downs, which he served for more than 40 years.
Clay was also associated with the Kentucky River Coal Co. for over 50 years, where he served as president and chairman of the board. His numerous honors in the energy industry included induction into the Kentucky Coal Hall of Fame.
According to the Blood-Horse, Clay is survived by his wife, eight children, and 15 grandchildren. Visitation will be Oct. 3 from 4-7 p.m. at the Runnymede House with a funeral Mass scheduled at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Church of the Annunciation in Paris.
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