Sunny Jim: The Life Of America's Most Beloved Horseman, James Fitzsimmons

by Jimmy Breslin

An evocative portrait of a man who lived a lifetime at the track
At seventy-seven, James “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons should have been considering retirement. His six-decade career stretched back to 1885, when, as an eleven year-old, he began working as a stable boy. After failing as a jockey, Fitzsimmons—or Mr. Fitz to those in the know—started training horses, eventually winning three Kentucky Derbys, two Triple Crowns, and more than two thousand races. But by 1951, glory seemed to be behind him. His wife’s sudden death took the light from his eyes, and retirement loomed. And then he met Nashua. She was the kind of horse trainers dream of. Big, powerful, with a windpipe that could suck down enough air to keep her running for weeks. Mr. Fitz knew he had a winner. It was only a matter of time before he realized that he had also just met the most remarkable horse of his long, storied career. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Jimmy Breslin including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

Genres: Sports, History, Biography, Nonfiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Jimmy Breslin was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American columnist and author. He wrote numerous novels, and pieces of his have appeared regularly in various newspapers in his hometown of New York City. He was a regular columnist for the newspaper Newsday until his retirement on November 2, 2004.

Among his notable columns, perhaps the best known was published the day after John F. Kennedy's funeral, focusing on the man who had dug the president's grave. The column is indicative of Breslin's style, which often highlights how major events or the actions of those considered "newsworthy" affect the "common man."

Reviews

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I thought it would rank up there with Sea Biscuit and Secretariat. Sadly, it fell far short. Breslin' writing is superb but his choice of material creates a drag. He wrote stories about horse racing that seemed to have little to do with Fitzsimmons. Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons was one of the greatest horse trainers of all time but the excitement in the book emanates from the horses. Mr. Fitz, as he is regularly called, hardly stimulates the mind. He seemed to care more for his horses and his career than for his wife.
I prefer William Nack's race calls over Breslin's.

Four stars steeply waning.

[Rich]

This one just didn’t resonate with me like the other Breslin has… the story of the horse and races were great, but going through the history of the trainer as a young boy was something i found to be tedious…

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, thoroughly, enjoyed this perspective of Sunny Jim’s life. Such a talented, hardworking, kind soul. Our families have been acquainted a very long time, so I appreciated the glimpses into history.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this one, but for some reason I enjoy reading about horse racing and the different personalities of horses. I don't think everyone would like it. It did bounce around in time a bit. I wish the writer had put dates in more often. One of the things I liked about the book is the description of Sheepshead Bay and the lives of the people at the turn of the century. Many kids didn't go to school at all and were put to work at early ages, like 6 if you were Jim Fitzsimmons. He was a stable boy at a young age, a jockey, and finally a trainer. He trained Gallant Fox and Omaha, both of whom won triple crowns in the 30s. He was a very optimistic and forward thinking person, always saw the good in people, thus the nickname "Sunny Jim".

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horse trainer. Horse racing - Man o War, Seabiscuit...