THE CLAYS AND BASHAWS. 331 



Patchen's horse, Henry Clay, and the produce was Cassius M. 

 Clay. From her appearance, form, and especially her action, it 

 was the universal opinion she was by Mambrino, son of Messen- 

 ger, and it is probable she was, but in the absence of proof she 

 must be classed as "breeding unknown." Had it not been for 

 the speed of little John Anderson, there would not have been 

 any Cassius M. Clay. 



When the colt grew up, Mr. Oliver, his breeder, sold him to 

 Mr. George M. Patchen, of Brooklyn, and he became a very popu- 

 lar stallion. After the death of Kemble Jackson and Long 

 Island Black Hawk he was considered the best trotting stallion 

 on Long Island. He was in a good many races, some of which 

 were reported, but more that were not, and as against stallions, 

 he was with the fastest. In temper he was disposed to be vicious 

 and had to be watched. In form he could not be considered 

 beautiful, but powerful. When the artist was modeling the 

 equestrian statue of Washington that stands in Union Square, 

 he had a great search for a horse to serve as a model, and he 

 selected Cassius M. Clay as the best representative of majesty 

 and power that he could find. Although the bronze is of heroic 

 size, it is, no doubt, a fair representation of the outline and 

 structure of the horse. He died at Montgomery, Orange County, 

 New York, July, 1854, in the same stable where Long Island 

 Black Hawk had died four years before. The three great horses, 

 Long Island Black Hawk, Kemble Jackson and Cassius M. Clay, 

 died just as they entered on what should have been the period of 

 their greatest usefulness, the first at the age of thirteen; the 

 second at the age of nine; and the third at the age of eleven. If 

 these horses had lived through the usual period of horse life, 

 doubtless the records of performers would bear very different 

 relations from what they do to-day, but the really great sire had 

 not yet made his appearance. 



Considering the short period Cassius M. Clay was in the stud 

 he left a numerous progeny, but only one of them, George M. 

 Patchen, achieved greatness on the turf. He placed thirty-four 

 heats in 2:30 or better to his credit and made a record of 2:23% 

 in 1860, which was the fastest for any stallion of his day. This 

 was the only one in the 2:30 list from the loins of Cassius M. 

 Clay. Nine of his sons became the sires of eighteen trotters, 

 -and more than a dozen of his sons were named "Cassius M. Clay 



