The Legend of Zippy Chippy: Life Lessons from Horse Racing's Most Lovable Loser

It takes a special kind of horse to deserve a biography, and Zippy Chippy, horse racing's most famous loser%E2%80%940 for 100%E2%80%94is that horse. Humor columnist and author Thomas (The Dog Rules%E2%80%94Damn Near Everything!) has chosen a subject rich in everything but wins. Following the horse's story from upbringing to retirement, readers are in for an enjoyable ride on a wonderful character. Zippy's aversion to winning is only part of the humorously told story. Since the subject, a "world-class scamp" with a sweet tooth, can't speak for himself, his various owners, trainers, jockeys, and stable hands help tell his story, which made headlines in the 1990s. Thomas's descriptions of the horse bring the book to life: "Typical Zippy Chippy%E2%80%94whenever trouble was not following him around, he'd go looking for it." The book does share one of Zippy's problematic traits and runs out of steam in the backstretch. Loss heaps upon loss and becomes repetitive. The asides, occupying their own chapters, have topics ranging from relevant (a similar multi-time loser horse in Japan, a profile of one of Zippy's trainers) to puzzling (the city of Buffalo, the author's nephew, a history of taunting in sports) and serve mostly as filler. Nevertheless, the story is good fun even for readers who are not horse racing fans. (Apr.)