Joe Clay, son of Runnymede Chairman Catesby W. Clay and brother of farm President Brutus Clay, is making his annual foray to Royal Ascot and is sending back his impressions of one of the world's greatest racing festivals while representing Runnymede. In his first entry, he writes:
Nothing like a beautiful summer’s day in England with the whole country anticipating the spectacle of the finest racing at Royal Ascot.
I have traveled 3,800 miles back to the birthplace of Thoroughbred racing and my family’s ancestors, and I feel so at home with the history and tradition of England.
There are many parallels for me, and my father, Catesby, and now the next generation Runnymede Farm president, my brother Brutus, and our French-born General Manager Romain Malhouitre. We all share in the passion for this elite yet true-to-the-roots racing with its unique flair.
My father was always a great diplomat to welcome the world to Runnymede in the late 1970s. He fell in love with racing in England, and one of his best homebreds, Full Extent, winning the historic Gimcrack Stakes (G2) at York in August 1981.
So, with this love of European racing nurtured by my father, I'm here at Ascot for the sixth year in a row to share in one of the most colorful, historic and exciting festivals of our sport. There is nothing like it anywhere.