Henry Clay McDowell (February 9, 1832 - November 18, 1899) was an American businessman and noted Standardbred horse breeder. In 1857, he married Anne Smith Clay, daughter of Henry Clay, Jr. with whom he had seven children. They made their home in Louisville, Kentucky until 1883 when they purchased Ashland Farm in Lexington, Kentucky that had belonged to Anne Clay McDowell's famous grandfather, Henry Clay. In 1883, McDowell purchased Dictator, a top Standardbred sire who was one of the four influential sons of Hambletonian.