Staff
Catesby W. Clay, Chairman 
Catesby W. Clay was born on Runnymede Farm, which he managed for the last five decades representing the Clay family's third generation since the farm's founding by his grandfather Col. Ezekiel Clay. During Mr. Clay's tenure as Runnymede’s president, he enhanced the farm's tradition of breeding top Thoroughbred racehorses. Individually and in partnerships, Runnymede bred more than 50 stakes winners, including 20 graded winners, five Grade 1 winners and a champion and earner of more than $8-million. The farm's breeding success was extended internationally for the first time, beginning in Europe in the 1970s with Full Extent, winner of the Gimcrack Stakes, and eventually to Japan, where Agnes Digital reigned as champion in 2001.
Catesby Clay’s lifetime achievements in the Thoroughbred industry were recognized by the Thoroughbred Club of America, which made him the honor guest at its 78th annual testimonial dinner in 2009. His many industry posts have included appointments to Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and to the board of directors of Churchill Downs, which he served for more than 40 years. He also has been associated with 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 have included induction into the Kentucky Coal Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Diplomacy.
For testimonials to Catesby Clay in conjunction with his Thoroughbred Club of America honor, click here.
A Blood-Horse magazine feature on Catesby Clay and Runnymede is available here.
Brutus J. Clay III, Chief Executive Officer .jpg)
Brutus J. Clay III joined Runnymede at the age of 13 when his first job was mucking stalls and cutting down thistles. Following his education and service in positions outside the Thoroughbred business, he rejoined Runnymede in 2002 as an executive committee member, and he took over the reins from his father as president in 2009. He now serves as chief executive officer, responsible for the farm’s breeding and racing operations.
Brutus Clay is the lead partner responsible for the development of Texas Roadhouse restaurants in conjunction with Roadhouse Management LLC. Previously he served as vice president of Langley Properties Co., where he evaluated and oversaw acquisitions. Prior to moving back to Kentucky, he served as chief financial officer of Learning Machines Inc. (LMI), based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and he managed the financial operations of three private equity investment funds for The Forestland Group.
Additionally, Brutus Clay is a managing member of Kentucky River Properties, a mineral rights and property holding company. He serves as a member of the board of trustees for the Lexington School and as a member of the board of directors for the Bluegrass Conservancy. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a B.S.B.A. from Georgetown University.
Brutus and his wife, Sarah, live on the farm with their three children and his parents. He spends his free time attending his children's soccer games and his daugther's horse shows. His favorite time of day is dawn, when he is inspired by watching the sun rise while on his morning run around the farm.
Romain Malhouitre, Vice President & General Manager
Romain Malhouitre, born in Normandy, France, on February 10, 1978, serves as vice president and general manager of Runnymede following stints in a variety of positions at farms in France, Ireland and Kentucky. Prior to joining Runnymede in December 2013, Romain held the position of yearling manager at historic Dixiana Farms in Lexington. His work at Dixiana over a six-year period also included sales and client relations. In his previous position in Kentucky, Romain worked as yearling manager at Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm.
While in Ireland, Romain held positions with both Milltown Stud in Newbridge, County Kildare, and Morristown Lattin Stud in Naas, County Kildare. At the latter farm, owned by O'Callaghan's father, Gay O'Callaghan, Malhouitre served as stallion manager.
Before he began his professional career with horses in France, where some of his initial experience was with Andalusians, Romain studied commerce, marketing and sales management at a private institute and followed up with more higher education in agriculture with an emphasis in equine breeding.
Joseph Reeves, Assistant Farm Manager
Joseph joined the Runnymede team in December 2014 to serve as assistant farm manager. He has held a variety of positions in the equine industry in the United States, New Zealand and England. Prior to joining Runnymede, he most recently had worked under the guidance of trainer Christophe Clement at Saratoga Race Course. He also has served as assistant broodmare manager at Dixiana Farm in Lexington, and while in New Zealand, he worked as assistant stallion manager at Rich Hill Stud.
Joseph is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he earned a degree in agricultural economics. He furthered his study of the horse business through completion of the English National Stud program in 2010.
Growing up in Lexington, Joseph discovered he possessed a passion for horses while he watched and handicapped Keeneland races with the late Judge Karl Forester. His interest has only grown since that time, and he has attempted to immerse himself in every aspct of the industry. In his free time, Joseph enjoyes hunting, fishing and the outdoors.
Kelsey Arnold, Intern & Communications Assistant
Kelsey is from Norwell, Massachusetts, a small New England coastal town. She began riding at a young age with Jettset EnDevers Show Horses, an all-around Appaloosa show stable. Kelsey graduated from the University of Findlay with a Bachelor of Science in 2013 after double majoring in equine business management and equestrian studies. She also competed on Findlay's Western Intercollegiate Horse Show team. During the spring of 2014, she participated in the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program while based at Indian Creek Farm in Paris. She loves to travel, most recently exploring England and Scotland, and she gained valuable experience by working the Tattersalls yearling sales in Newmarket with Watership Down Stud. Kelsey also is an avid Boston sports fan and she enjoys following her home teams.
David Blee, Vice President
David Blee, a co-founder of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), the state horse industry’s leading political organization, provides counsel on strategic, bloodstock and racing development in his position as vice president. He has been associated with Runnymede since 2001 as a shareholder and has served as an officer since 2005. His Thoroughbred industry experience also includes breeding and pinhooking syndicates.
David also serves as managing director of the Forrestal Group, a strategic management consulting group. Previously, he served as executive vice president for worldwide consulting, marketing and business development for NAC International, an energy services group, and as senior vice president of Robinson, Lake, Lerer and Montgomery, a Washington, D.C. and New York City-headquartered strategic communications company. He also has served as a United States deputy assistant secretary of Energy, as Energy Department director of public affairs and as a Capitol Hill chief of staff. A member of the Office of the Strategic Services Society, he serves as chairman of KEEP-PAC and is a director of Quark Energy Communications and a member of the executive committee of the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council. David holds a B.A. in economics from Dickinson College.
Mark Leaver, Comptroller
Mark Leaver joined Runnymede in December 2014 after serving in similar capacities with several other prominent Thoroughbred operations, including Vinery and Crestwood Farm. He has lived in the Bluegrass about two decades after he and his wife made a fateful journey to Lexington for the first weekend of the 1996 fall meeting at Keeneland Race Course. Following Kimball House (pre-condo), Alfalfa (pre-Main Street), Keeneland (pre-P.A. system) and perfect weather, they made the decision to move to Lexington in short order. Mark had been working for a steel fabricator in Charlotte, North Carolina, where "racing" lacks a "g" in the local vernacular. Since Mark prefers one-horse power to turbo, he figured finance and accounting would be a lot more interesting in a place where he could look out his office window at horses rather than at rebar.
Mark holds an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a B.A. in business administration and accounting from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Katherine Cain, Office Manager
Katherine is the newest addition to
the Runnymede team, having joined the farm in June 2015. While growing up in Franklin, Tennessee, she worked for riding lessons, and she showed hunters through high school. Katherine attended the University of Tennessee, where she competed on the equestrian team and graduated with a bachelor's degree in animal science.
Also a graduate of the Kentucky Equine Management Internship, she has a well-rounded background in the Thoroughbred industry. As broodmare manager at Cobra Farm, she cared for a top-class band of mares including Star of Goshen, granddam of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Katherine has held equine management positions in England as well as the United States, and she has worked at sales in the U.S., England and New Zealand. Upon her return to Kentucky in 2009, she accepted the position of assistant manager at Cobra Farm.
Katherine also has extensive equine medical experience, as she worked as a technician at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in both the medicine and surgery departments. After a brief foray into human medicine, she followed her heart and came back to the horse business.
An avid UT football fan, Katherine enjoys travel and running, and she stays very involved in social aspects of the Thoroughbred world. She serves as a board member of the KEMI Alumni Association and she is an active member of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager's Club.