{"product_id":"the-legend-of-zippy-chippy-life-lessons-from-horse-racings-most-lovable-loser","title":"The Legend of Zippy Chippy: Life Lessons from Horse Racing's Most Lovable Loser","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom acclaimed humorist William Thomas comes the funny yet poignant story of a thoroughbred racehorse that lost 100 races in a row -- but  in everyones eyes  became the ultimate winner.  On April 20  1991  at Capritaur Farms in Upstate New York  Zippy Chippy strolled into the world. He was born from American horse racing royalty -- Compliance (his father was Kentucky Derby-winner Northern Dancer; his great-grandfather Native Dancer  the Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner) and Listen Lady (great-granddaughter of Native Dancer). Even before his birth  the hopes (not to mention the bill for his planned production) for Zippy Chippy were high. His pedigree was horse racing gold: Northern Dancer  Man o War  Count Fleet  Bold Ruler  War Admiral  and Buckpasser were all ancestors. His success and glory seemed inevitable. But moments after his birth  Zippy Chippy struggled to his feet  took two steps forward . . . and stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around  took in his surroundings  maybe indulged in a little daydream  then promptly lay down for a nap in the straw. And thus began Zippy Chippys storied racing career. Vince Lombardi  one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time  famously said  \"Winning isnt everything  its the only thing.\" These words have become the battle cry of athletes  coaches  and teams everywhere  but over the years  sports have taken on a literal interpretation of Lombardis mantra. Match-fixing  doping  sabotage  cocky and mean sportsmanship  all in the name of winning  have infiltrated and scandalized games  teams  reputations  and newspaper headlines. Yet  since his first moments in the world  Zippy Chippy ignored Lombardi and turned his nose at the concept of winning-at-all-costs. In fact  he decided to not win at all  losing  over the course of his career  100 consecutive races  at some of the greatest tracks in the country: Belmont Park  Aqueduct  Finger Lakes  and Suffolk Downs among them. And he did so with his owner  Felix Monserrate  by his side -- a man who refused to sell Zippy  or even retire him  simply because he couldnt come in first. Soon  Zippys cheering squad grew to include people who  enchanted by his story  would travel from all over North America to watch him lose but then happily gallop back to his stable. To them  Zippy Chippy was just like them; someone who wasnt an athlete with a million-dollar contract  or someone with movie star looks -- he was a creature who struggled  who lost  and who failed even the lowest of expectations. But  somehow  he found a way to enjoy himself and eagerly return for the next race. Told with laugh-out-loud wit and a lot of heart  The Legend of Zippy Chippy is the story of the losing-est racehorse in North American history -- a perpetual loser who would become the winning thoroughbred in professional horse racing to steal peoples hearts.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44946430328885,"sku":"ByrdShop_0771081596","price":29.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780771081590.jpg?v=1769948518","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-legend-of-zippy-chippy-life-lessons-from-horse-racings-most-lovable-loser","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}