Clyde Van Dusen (1926–1948) was an
American Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
racehorse and the winner of the 1929
Kentucky Derby.
Background
Although he was a son of
Man o' War
Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and t ...
, Clyde Van Dusen had an unimpressive appearance, being described as "a mere pony of a horse with a weedy frame."
Owner/breeder Herbert Gardner, an
Amsterdam, New York
Amsterdam is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
The City of Amste ...
businessman, named the horse after his trainer, former
jockey Clyde Van Dusen.
Van Dusen said, "Clyde is a little horse, and that is why Mr. Gardner named him after me."
Racing career
Clyde Van Dusen had a successful two-year-old season, winning the
Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
The Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the last week of November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade II event, the race is open to two-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixtee ...
, Orphanage Stakes, Valley Stakes, and Idle Hour Stakes.
As a three-year-old, he lost a
Kentucky Derby prep race to the Derby favorite and eventual
Horse of the Year,
Blue Larkspur
Blue Larkspur (1926–1947) was a bay Kentucky-bred thoroughbred race horse. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957, and ranks Number 100 in The Blood-Horse's top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20t ...
, and he drew the #20 post position on Derby Day. Only Blue Larkspur was outside of him in the farthest post position, #21. His jockey,
Linus McAtee, was startled by the horse's appearance and admitted to being "kind of scared" before the race.
The race was run in a downpour, and unlike Blue Larkspur, Clyde Van Dusen was wearing
mud caulks on the sloppy track. As a result, he was never seriously threatened and won by 2 lengths, with a time of 2:10 4/5, one of the slowest winning times in Derby history. After the race, Blue Larkspur's owner, Colonel
Edward R. Bradley, called Clyde Van Dusen "the worst horse to win the Derby in twenty years."
Clyde Van Dusen was the seventh
gelding to win the Kentucky Derby in the race's first 55 runnings. It was 74 years before another gelding (
Funny Cide
Funny Cide (foaled April 20, 2000) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was an immensely popular horse and remai ...
) won the race.
After winning the Derby, Clyde Van Dusen finished in the money in several stakes, but he never won another major race.
He retired in 1933 with a career record of 12 wins in 42 starts and $122,402 in earnings.
Retirement
Following the horse's retirement, trainer Van Dusen acquired him and used him as an exercise pony.
Clyde Van Dusen was humanely euthanized in 1948 at the age of 22 due to the infirmities of old age.
Daily Racing Form
The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of raceh ...
May 1, 1954.
/ref>
References
External links
Film of Clyde Van Dusen's Derby win
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clyde Van Dusen (Horse)
1926 racehorse births
1948 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United States
Kentucky Derby winners
Thoroughbred family A4
Godolphin Arabian sire line