Horse lovers from all walks of life love the story of Zippy Chippy, arguably the world’s worst racehorse. The beloved loser turned 30 this week, April 20th to be exact. For those not familiar with the bay gelding, the racehorse’s pedigree includes such equine luminaries as Man O’War, Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer and War Admiral, yet when it came time for Zippy to zip out of the starting gate, he famously lost every event he entered to a grand total of 100 races but won hearts the world over.
To mark the occasion, fans can curl up with The True Story of Zippy Chippy, The Little Horse That Couldn’t, a children’s book by Artie Bennett and illustrated by Dave Szalay that was published in 2020. Or if more adult fare is your style, there’s The Legend of Zippy Chippy: Life Lessons from Horse Racing’s Most Loveable Loser by William Thomas, published in 2016.
The True Story of Zippy Chippy, the Little Horse That Couldn’t was named a Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices 2021. The organization said of the book, “Quirky, sweet, but never sentimental, this offbeat account never makes fun of Zippy but instead celebrates his unique personality and spirit, which are reflected in the tone of both the narrative and illustrations.”
