A Racing Legend in the Making

A RACING LEGEND IN THE MAKING: J. CLAY SPARKS

IS SOUTHERN ARIZONA THE HOTBED FOR PRODUCING WINNING RACE HORSE TRAINERS?

BY R. DEAN FISH, PHD

J. Clay Sparks is the best race horse trainer that you’ve probably never heard of. Sometimes it’s the right horse, the right race or just pure fortune that elevates someone into the public limelight. Other times fame finds a person, whether they are looking for it or not. Clay’s story begins in Casa Grande, Arizona in 1972. The youngest of Gene and Ginny Sparks three children, Clay was born while Gene was managing the feed mill for Arizona Feeds. Gene was born in Missouri, moved to the Phoenix area as a kid and grew up around agriculture. He made some lifelong friends and business partners during this time. He further developed these relationships as a student at Cal Poly and later at Arizona State University. Gene’s example of perseverance and entrepreneurship helps explain some of Clay’s success.

Gene spent much of his career in the feed industry, ranching and later branching out into real estate. He was one of the founding partners of Headquarters West, Ltd., a leading ranch real estate brokerage in Arizona and the Southwest. The venture that brought the Sparks family to the community of Sonoita, Arizona in the early 1980’s was starting a feed store. Sonoita is located in the high desert of southern Arizona and is the site of the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. In those days, the fairgrounds hosted four main events: the annual races, Quarter Horse Show, Labor Day Rodeo and county fair. County fair racing during Kentucky Derby weekend was always a highlight for locals and businesses alike.

Growing up, Clay was a member of the local 4-H club and participated in the market and breeding beef projects. He exhibited a Grand Champion steer at the County Fair eight times and was one of the most dominant steer showmen in the area throughout the 1980’s. He also had a small herd of registered Herefords and recalls purchasing a bull during junior high school from Larry Stark at the Las Vegas Ranch for $4,800, an unheard-of amount in that time. While he was good at the “cattle thing,” his passion was with the horse industry. In the early 1980’s, Gene took in a race horse from a feed store customer in exchange for an overdue feed bill. Papa’s Last Chance turned out to be a very good horse, running five second place finishes. This started the family’s foray into the horse racing world. Later, Owen McDaniel found them a great filly and they took off from there. Clay has a philosophy, “Horses have so much more personality and are more sensitive than other animals. You need to treat a horse as an individual.” He applies this philosophy to training horses. After graduating from Patagonia High School, Clay attended the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program. He credits the program with helping him to learn about the fundamentals of the racing world, as well as building lasting relationships. Clay was training horses during this time and officially got his license in 1992. Most of his stable were Quarter horses and he cut his teeth racing at Prescott Downs, Turf Paradise in Phoenix and the Arizona County Fair racing circuit. Clay says he was very fortunate to get some nice horses from the start and found success early. His first owners were contacts from the cattle world and they helped to get him a good start. By 1995, Clay was training full time and had a full stable of racehorses. He was still mostly training Quarter horses but was gradually transitioning to Thoroughbreds. By his own admission, he preferred Thoroughbred racing over Quarter horses, as it is a “more even” type of racing. By 1997, Clay found himself racing at Los Alamitos in California as well as in New Mexico. Soon after, Clay made the move to New Mexico.

Clay talks about the great horsemen who influenced him, including Owen McDaniel and Bob Baffert. He owes much of his success to these influences, as well as to the owners who trusted him with their horses. Some of his memorable horses include Cattleman Prospect, who won the New Mexico Bred Invitational Handicap in 2006 and Stamps One. The Rush Gets to You won the 2002 AQHA All Star Jockey Challenge as well as the MBNA Challenge.

Clay says that the racing industry is changing, and he has some concerns about the longevity of it. Casino gambling has “saved” the tracks in some places, but is this sustainable? In addition to the economics that must support racing, what are the other pressures that face the industry? Looking at recent headlines, one can imagine all types of challenges, including the use of performance enhancing or illegal drugs and ethical treatment of horses. In addition, owners are changing.

There are three types of race horse owners that you will find at the track. The first are the breeders who have planned and invested in genetics. The second are those who like to go to sales and speculate on horses. Finally, there are the owners who pick up horses in claiming races. These owners often have different goals and require being managed by a trainer in different ways. Today’s owner may not be as patient or loyal to a trainer as they were in previous eras. However, Clay still enjoys the competition of horse racing, breaking colts and seeing their progression.

Today Clay is training with respected New Mexico trainer Joel Marr. It is easy to see why Clay is great at what he does when you spend a morning around him and his horses. He has a very keen eye for the details that make or break a horse on the track. Clay interacts with his horses and fellow horsemen with ease and comfort.

Regardless of where Clay’s future leads, you can rest assured that he will be successful. He is an example of a man that came from humble beginnings, works hard and perseveres despite the industry’s many challenges. He remains a good son, brother, uncle and friend to many, regardless of how famous he is. It is often said that you can tell a lot about a man by studying his horses. In that case, Clay is a winner that is very comfortable and confident in his future.