Henry Clay was an early patron of the sport of horse racing, as were
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. In addition to being one of the
most popular public figures of his time, Clay was also devoted to improving various breeds
of livestock, having imported the first Hereford cattle to the United States in 1817, and
raising sheep, mules, and other farm animals. In the 1830s, he began breeding
Thoroughbreds and maintained foaling records, race records, and feeding and veterinary
information.
In 1806 Henry Clay was a member of a Kentucky 
syndicate which bought the 18-year-old stallion Buzzard
for $5,860 from the dispersal of John Hoomes of Virginia. The horse lived only two more years, but remains a noted sire of brood mares. One of Buzzard’s
daughters, bred by Clay, produced the unbeaten Woodpecker, whose 1833 match race
with the Virginia invader Collier at Louisville over four-mile heats, was considered
the most exciting horse ever seen in Kentucky up to that time.
Henry Clay’s racing colors were buff and blue. It is speculated that he chose
these colors for his silks because of the buff and blue uniforms worn by the officers
during the Revolutionary War. Clay began racing Thoroughbreds in 1808 and began to breed
Thoroughbreds in 1830.
In 1835 Governor James Barbour of Virginia sent Allegrante, the sister of the
great imported horse Camel to Henry Clay. One of her best offspring, Zenobia,
was willed by Clay to his son John Morrison Clay. Clay recorded the purchase in his stud
book at $1,500 - a huge sum of money for a horse. In addition to Zenobia, she also
produced Argentile, and from the two of them descended Victoire, Ann
Hanley, Regards, Zadie, Lillie, General Duke, Chillicothe,
Vandalia, Pomeroy, Estelle, Zampa, Zero, Zingara,
Jerome, Edgar, 
Zaranaunie, C.
London, D’Artagnan, and many others. Clay also purchased a half interest
in Stamboul, the famous stallion, one of the four Arabians presented by the Sultan
to Mr. Rhim, the American Minister to Constantinople.
Clay maintained friendships with a number of horsemen. These included Lexington
breeder Dr. Elisha Warfield, known as "the father of the Kentucky turf," and
owner of The Meadows, for which a Lexington subdivision is named. Clay was also intimately
associated with William R. Johnson, the North Carolinian who became known as "the
Napoleon of the turf." Another friend, Wade Hampton II, of South Carolina, presented
Clay, with Margaret Wood, by imp. Priam out of Maria West. In a
letter to Clay, 3 June 1845, he assured the senator that "To me she is of but little
value, having her dam still breeding, her half sister Fanny, besides other of the
same family." He added, "She was foaled in 1840; at 3 years old she won the
Trial stakes at Nashville . . . a very promising filly, but . . . utterly ruined by the
Trip. She has been put to Herald, and I hope may prove in foal." Margaret
Wood was in foal and subsequently produced Heraldry at Ashland. According to
turf historian John Hervey, Heraldry produced for Clay a group of foals which
became "one of the glories of The American Stud Book." Heraldry
had an outstanding racing career, which included a win in the Phoenix Handicap at
Lexington, now recognized as the oldest stakes in America.
Another friend, Dr. W.N. Mercer of New Orleans, sent Clay a filly named Magnolia
out of imp. Glencoe and imp. Myrtle. Magnolia, which foaled the first
great son out of Lexington in Daniel Boone, the most important horse
ever acquired by Clay.
Finally, Clay was given the imported horse Yorkshire by Commodore Morgan of the
US Navy. In an 1850 letter to James B. Clay the senator wrote, John [M. Clay] won last
week with the Glencoe filly by Yorkshire the Phoenix stake, and the next day
he also won the two mile stakes with the Yorkshire colt from the Zhinghanie
mare. I have not heard from home. You see that I did not judge so erroneously about Yorkshire."
Although not a major stakes winner himself, Yorkshire, sired a number of dams who
issued major stakes winners.
More Information on Henry Clay
