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Jack McReynolds with Go Man Go (left) and Double Bid.
Pix: GoManGo_FrankVesselJrLeft_ MelvinHatley_SpeedhorseArchives.jpg
Frank Vessels Jr., Go Man Go and Melvin Hatley.
Frank Vessels Jr., Go Man Go and Melvin Hatley.
Walt Wiggins Sr. Photo
winning 10 of 13 races and was again the overwhelming choice as World Champion, along with the fitting divisional titles of Champion 3-Year-Old Colt and Champion Stallion. Owner A.B. Green had proven his purchase
to be a wise one and his ego swelled at knowing he owned the World’s Fastest Horse. It was announced that the horse had been retired to stud at Green Pastures in Oklahoma.
And then a funny thing happened.
“I was at Los Alamitos and ran into A.B. Green and asked him where Go Man Go was,” recalled J.B. Ferguson. “He said they had him in Oklahoma and had already bred him to some mares and that he now had a horse that could outrun Go Man Go. You can imagine how that hit me! ‘What’s his name?’ I asked him.”
“His name is Double Bid and he’s running today,” A.B. told me, grinning. “It sort of made me hot. I told A.B. there wasn’t a horse on earth who could outrun Go Man Go.”
“You’ll see one by the time this day is over,” A.B. told me.
“It happened that my younger full brother to Go Man Go, Mr Mackay, was in the same race with Double Bid that day. So, because I was so hot at what A.B. had said, I told him that since he had paid $42,000 for Go Man Go, that I would bet him exactly that--$42,000--against (ownership of) Go Man Go himself, that Mr Mackay would outrun Double Bid that day. A.B. called the bet, the race was run and Mr Mackay did beat Double Bid and I was once again the owner of Go Man Go! I could hardly believe it, I was so happy.”
Go Man Go was pulled out of stud duty after covering a handful of mares and returned to race training, once again in the hands of Eldridge Strauss. Always a handful, now that Go Man Go had experienced the breeding shed, he was more high strung than ever. It was the last week of July before Strauss got the horse to the races at Ruidoso Downs, where
he finished second to the venerable 8-year-old Brigand. He returned six days later to win the Ruidoso Maturity, the precursor to today’s
All American Gold Cup, in World Record time of :21.8. Later that month he won the Wonder Lad Stakes, equaling his own Track Record. He closed out his Ruidoso season with a second-place finish to his old nemesis Sure Now. Moving on to Albuquerque Go Man Go won the New Mexico State Fair Championship carrying top weight.
In his first start back at Los Alamitos Go Man Go won the 350-yard Clabbertown G Handicap over Vanetta Dee (a full sister to Vannevar) and Miss Myrna Bar. In the Johnny Dial Stakes he finished second to Clabber’s Win but redeemed himself in the Los Alamitos Autumn Championship with another solid victory, finishing his season with five wins and two seconds from seven starts.
For the third consecutive year in 1957 Go Man Go was voted World Champion Quarter Running Horse and Champion Stallion. Once again J.B. Ferguson owned the Fastest Horse
Mrs. C.L. Maddon, Harriett Peckham and W.H. Peckham receive the Leading Sire of the Year award for Go Man Go.
“A.B. called the bet, the race was run and Mr Mackay did beat Double Bid and I was once again the owner of Go Man Go! I could hardly believe it, I was so happy.” – J.B. Ferguson
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SPEEDHORSE June 2023
Speedhorse Archives
Speedhorse Archives