The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-21

ton, the mating of Man o. War with
young mares.
"Now there" he said Of War
Admiral, us what we call a horse
with class"
The Admiral gave Riddle his first
and long sought after Kentucky
Derby victory in 1887, then went on
to win the Preakness and the Bel.
mont, a feat accomplished by only
three other horses. War Admiral,
like his father, is now retired.
Familiar too, to followers of the
track are the names of many other
Man O. War sons and daughters.
There's Clyde Van Dusen who won
the Kentucky Derby in 1929, Bat
tleship, winner of the great National
Steeplechase at Aintree, England, in
1898; War Hero, American Flag,
Florence Nightingale, Edith Cavell,
Crusader and scores of others.
II have been told" Riddle said,
that when the sons and daughters
of Man O. War win another $780,
900 they will have won more than
the offspring of any other stallion
known to records"
In his home, Riddle has the walls
of several rooms lined with superb
ly done oil paintings. There are
several of Big Red" striking in
detail and the chestnut coloring
,si,,ct nc ~ot1Iro1 acfs Do], L;~,colf -
Wall lights bring each picture into
clear detail; the scenes at the track,
of the hunt and of Crusader, Briga.
der General and others who wore
the Riddle colors to victory.
There is no picture in the room of
Riddle and Man o. War together.
They have never been painted nor
photographed together, Riddle said.
Symbolic of the victories were the
trophies on the nantes and tables
of one delightful old room, filled
with antiques, bric-a-brac and
wedgewood. On the center table stood
the cup won by War Admiral in the
Derby. On a nearby mantle was the
jockey gold cup-and there were sew
eral from the Pimlico and others.
Riddle grew up in the tradition
of fox hunting, fine horses and love
of sport. And with little variation
his life has been devoted to the rails.
ing, training and breeding of good
horses-racers, hunters and show
animals. There is nothing to him
that is finer than a Thoroughbred"
He was reared on his fathers es-
tate in the center of the "horsey"
country of eastern Pennsylvania
where riding to the hounds was, and
still is, part of ones education.
Riddle fitted into his surroundings
easily and naturally.
The land he vas born on was set
tied by his father and grandfather
before him. On his fathers side his
ancestry is Scotch and Irish and goes
back to a line of fighting men in
the British Isles from whence came
the name Glen Riddle. He is of
Quaker stock from his mothers side.
His father owned a textile mill
near Glen Riddle and for a while
young Riddle headed a textile com,
mission firm in Philadelphia. He
tried operating a stock farm in
Delaware county too but gave it w
in 1888 because the climate was not
suitable.
Riddle is a member and past pres
ident of the Rose Tree Hunt, old
est of its kind in the country.
He lists at least one past presi
dent among his friends. That was
the late Calvin Coolidge with whom
he used to visit at the White House
and talk horses"
Riddle, contrary to some reports
has wagered on the horses. Some
times, he said, it is just a 50 bet
across the board for the fun of it,
and at other times it is more-"much
more"
Still erect and preserving the well
groomed appearance that in his
younger days used to place him in
many of the lists of the country's
best dressed men. Riddle has given
| up the racing of hunters and hounds