Henry D. White, a prominent Central Kentucky horseman, died Jan. 20 of heart failure. The Hopkinsville, Ky., native was 85.
White, a son of Cyrus "Cy" White, was an internationally renowned and respected third-generation horseman whose responsibilities included managing Elsmeade and Plum Lane Farm until his retirement in 2002.
White was a breeding adviser for Paul Mellon's Rokeby Stable. The Rokeby operation produced such stars as 1969 Horse of the Year Arts and Letters, 1970 co-Horse of the Year Fort Marcy, 1972 champion 3-year-old male Key to the Mint, European Horse of the Year Mill Reef, and 1993 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Sea Hero. White also served as an advisor to Ogden Phipps, Thomas P. Whitney, the Aga Khan, Nelson Bunker Hunt, Preston and Elliott Burch, and others.
Among the numerous horses White raised were Singletary, winner of the 2004 NetJets Breeders' Cup MIle (gr. IT), and fellow grade I winners Cryptoclearance and Temperate Sil. One of White's proudest moments came April 4, 1987, when Cryptoclearance won the Florida Derby (gr. I) and Temperate Sil took the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I).
White was a member of the Keeneland Club and past president of both the Thoroughbred Club of America and the Thoroughbred Breeders of Kentucky as well as a vice president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation. He was a lifetime member of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club and was named the Kentucky Farm Manager of the Year in 1979.
White also served as director emeritus of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, a two-term president of the Thoroughbred Breeders of Kentucky, and a founder of KEEP. He was presented the "Hardboot Breeders Award" by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, White served in the United States Air Force.
White's survivors include his wife of 56 years, Kathryn; daughters Kathryn "Kitty" White and Jean (Robert) Williams; and a son, Henry D. "Hank" (Andrea) White II.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, Jan. 22, from 4-7:30 at Milward Funeral Home-Trent in Lexington. Service will be held Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at the funeral home.