Civil War Confederate Army Officer, Racehorse Breeder. After the start if the Civil War he enlisted in the Confederate Army, and was mustered in as a Private in the 1st Battalion Kentucky (CSA) Mounted Rifles in 1861. On November 29, 1862 he was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the newly formed 3rd Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles, and commanded that unit until April 13, 1864 when he was wounded and captured in a skirmish at Paintsville, Kentucky. Losing an eye as a result of the wound, he remained a prisoner at Johnson's Island, Ohio until January 1865. Following the Civil War he was a bank president and breeder of thoroughbred horses. His horses won the Kentucky Derby twice, "Ben Brush" in 1896 and "Agile" in 1905. He served as president of the Kentucky Racing Association and chairman of the Kentucky Racing Commission. Colonel Clay was a nephew of abolitionist Cassius M. Clay.
Civil War Confederate Army Officer, Racehorse Breeder. After the start if the Civil War he enlisted in the Confederate Army, and was mustered in as a Private in the 1st Battalion Kentucky (CSA) Mounted Rifles in 1861. On November 29, 1862 he was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the newly formed 3rd Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles, and commanded that unit until April 13, 1864 when he was wounded and captured in a skirmish at Paintsville, Kentucky. Losing an eye as a result of the wound, he remained a prisoner at Johnson's Island, Ohio until January 1865. Following the Civil War he was a bank president and breeder of thoroughbred horses. His horses won the Kentucky Derby twice, "Ben Brush" in 1896 and "Agile" in 1905. He served as president of the Kentucky Racing Association and chairman of the Kentucky Racing Commission. Colonel Clay was a nephew of abolitionist Cassius M. Clay.
Bio by: Steve Dunn
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