Clyde Van Dusen (1926–1948) was an

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racehorse and the winner of the 1929

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

Background

Although he was a son of

Man o' War Man o' War was a thoroughbred racehorse considered an all-time great. Man o' War (or capitalization variations thereof) may also refer to: Animals * Portuguese man o' war, a floating marine animal found in the Atlantic that resembles a jellyfish ...

, 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

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businessman, named the horse after his trainer, former

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

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, Orphanage Stakes, Valley Stakes, and Idle Hour Stakes. As a three-year-old, he lost a

prep race to the Derby favorite and eventual Horse of the Year, Blue Larkspur, 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

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to win the Kentucky Derby in the race's first 55 runnings. It was 74 years before another gelding (

Funny Cide Funny Cide (April 20, 2000 – July 16, 2023) was an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He was the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was a 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.

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May 1, 1954.
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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