Although he was a son of Man o' War, Clyde Van Dusen had an unimpressive appearance, being described as "a mere pony of a horse with a weedy frame.
"[1] Owner/breeder Herbert Gardner, an Amsterdam, New York businessman, named the horse after his trainer, former jockey Clyde Van Dusen.
[1] The race was run in a downpour, and unlike Blue Larkspur, Clyde Van Dusen was wearing mud caulks on the sloppy track.
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.
[1] After winning the Derby, Clyde Van Dusen finished in the money in several stakes, but he never won another major race.