After interviewing the trainer, I went next to meet the trickster at Old Friends at Cabin Creek, near Saratoga Springs, New York. There the legend stood with his head resting on the top of the fence, staring at me like, What kind of a jerk comes to see me without a bag of carrots? With camera in hand I walked up to this ruggedly almost-handsome beast with the head that looks like it’s made of granite and said, “Hey, Zippy. I’m the guy that’s writing your life story.” Apparently I make a lousy first impression, because he stuck his one-and-a-half-foot-long tongue out at me and snorgled.
Zippy, you ungrateful bastard, I love ya. I really do.
Although Zippy Chippy survived the brutally cold winter of 2015 to become Old Friends farm’s elder statesman, Felix Monserrate passed away in late spring of pneumonia complicated by heart problems. He was seventy-two. A small man who walked tall, he will be deeply missed by his family and fondly remembered by fellow horsemen. Like Zippy’s incredible career of one hundred races, this book would also not have been possible without the patience and participation of Felix Monserrate.
William Thomas
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the participation and assistance of Felix Monserrate, who trusted me with his collection of souvenirs and scrapbook material. He also trusted me to tell this story, which I hope will serve as a final tribute to a sweet man and a dedicated horseman. Felix Monserrate died in June of 2015, before this book was published. Thanks go to his daughter Marisa for the many conversations and emails, and for the time we had at the track. Thank you, Emily Schoeneman, for your time between hot-walks, and to Felix’s extended family: Orlando, Odalis, Myra, Eileen, Edgar, and Karen.
At Finger Lakes, jockey Pedro Castillo and farrier Chris Roncone were very helpful. Big hugs of thanks go out to Kim DeLong, Administration Manager, Delaware North at Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack; and Sandy Stanisewski, the last racing director at Northampton’s Three County Fair. Much gratitude to Judy Peck Laplante, Zippy’s biggest fan. In Rochester, thanks be to promoters like Dan Mason and John Blotzer of Red Wings Baseball, as well as Todd Haight at Batavia Downs Raceway.
Special thanks go to two successful sports icons, ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser and golfer Jim Nelford, for their blessings in putting their words on these pages. I appreciate the assistance of Jim’s friend and co-author Lorne Rubenstein. And to two great guys and trusted writers, Rochester talk show host Bob Matthews and L.A. scriptwriter Dave Latham – it was good to have you both in my corner. Too few words of Kentucky’s Poet Laureate Frank X Walker grace these pages; “Praise Song” is the most inspirational poem I have ever read. Notes by friend and reader Heather McArdle moved the manuscript to a better draft. To Barb “I need another copy of the manuscript in five minutes” DeGuerre of Business Express: Quit closing up the shop when you see me coming.
A tip of the hat to Steve Bradley and Kevin Oklobzija at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, as well as Sarah “Skippy” Moon at Finger Lakes Community College. Old Friends farm – Michael Blowen, JoAnn, Mark, and Cody Pepper, and photographer Connie Bush – thank you for your enthusiastic support. Zippy’s previous trainer, Ralph D’Alessandro, and first owner Charles “Bill” Frysinger were patient with my calls.
Simply put, this book does not happen without Scott Sellers, my publisher and publicist at Penguin Random House Canada, who loved this story from minute one. Thank you Don Bastian, who I can always count on for sage advice. To my editor at McClelland & Stewart, Bhavna Chauhan: Thank you for your guiding hand and your patience.
And a salute to the tote board for my track buddies Al Dicenso and Dan Patakfalvi who did nothing whatsoever to help me with this book.
ZIPPY CHIPPY
Foaled: April 20, 1991, at Capritaur Farm in Upstate New York
Sire: Compliance Dam: Listen Lady Damsire: Buckfinder
Sex: Gelding Color: Brown
Breeder: Capritaur Farm
Owner: Felix Monserrate
Major Wins: None
Zippy Chippy’s Pedigree: Ben Brush, Buckpasser, Busanda, Bold Ruler, Count Fleet, Man o’ War, Nasrullah, Native Dancer, Northern Dancer, Round Table, Tom Fool, War Admiral, and La Troienne
CAREER STATISTICS
Starts: 100 Firsts: 0 Seconds: 8 Thirds: 12
Earnings Per Start: $308 Career: $30,834
Belmont Park 9/13/1994 8th
Belmont Park 9/23/1994 3rd
Belmont Park 10/1/1994 4th
Belmont Park 10/6/1994 3rd
Belmont Park 10/14/1994 10th
Aqueduct 10/28/1994 9th
Aqueduct 11/16/1994 8th
Finger Lakes 11/26/1994 4th
Finger Lakes 12/9/1994 3rd
Finger Lakes 12/13/1994 5th
Aqueduct 12/29/1994 7th
Aqueduct 1/8/1995 10th
Suffolk Downs 1/23/1995 5th
Suffolk Downs 2/15/1995 12th
Suffolk Downs 3/10/1995 8th
Suffolk Downs 4/12/1995 4th
Suffolk Downs 4/19/1995 8th
Suffolk Downs 4/28/1995 3rd
Finger Lakes 5/23/1995 4th
Finger Lakes 6/3/1995 4th
Finger Lakes 6/16/1995 6th
Finger Lakes 7/6/1995 3rd
Finger Lakes 7/29/1995 5th
Finger Lakes 8/8/1995 3rd
Finger Lakes 8/20/1995 5th
Finger Lakes 8/30/1995 7th
Finger Lakes 9/10/1995 6th
Finger Lakes 9/23/1995 2nd
Finger Lakes 10/3/1995 2nd
Finger Lakes 10/13/1995 7th
Finger Lakes 10/16/1995 7th
Finger Lakes 10/22/1995 5th
Finger Lakes 11/3/1995 7th
Finger Lakes 11/14/1995 6th
Finger Lakes 11/21/1995 5th
Finger Lakes 11/26/1995 2nd
Finger Lakes 12/4/1995 6th
Finger Lakes 7/6/1996 4th
Finger Lakes 7/15/1996 5th
Finger Lakes 7/20/1996 6th
Finger Lakes 7/27/1996 7th
Finger Lakes 7/30/1996 6th
Finger Lakes 8/10/1996 5th
Finger Lakes 8/23/1996 4th
Finger Lakes 9/4/1996 7th
Finger Lakes 9/13/1996 3rd
Finger Lakes 9/23/1996 5th
Finger Lakes 10/6/1996 9th
Finger Lakes 11/6/1996 3rd
Finger Lakes 11/16/1996 6th
Finger Lakes 11/30/1996 6th
Finger Lakes 12/2/1996 9th
Finger Lakes 7/14/1997 8th
Finger Lakes 7/22/1997 7th
Finger Lakes 7/27/1997 7th
Finger Lakes 8/1/1997 6th
Finger Lakes 8/10/997 7th
Finger Lakes 8/17/1997 6th
Finger Lakes 8/26/1997 5th
Finger Lakes 9/4/1997 4th
Finger Lakes 9/14/1997 6th
Finger Lakes 9/27/1997 4th
Finger Lakes 10/5/1997 7th
Finger Lakes 10/10/1997 4th
Finger Lakes 10/18/1997 5th
Finger Lakes 10/21/1997 5th
Finger Lakes 11/2/1997 3rd
Finger Lakes 11/12/1997 8th
Finger Lakes 11/16/1997 4th
Finger Lakes 11/24/1997 10th
Finger Lakes 11/30/1997 2nd
Finger Lakes 12/2/1997 4th
Finger Lakes 4/3/1998 4th
Finger Lakes 4/8/1998 4th
Finger Lakes 4/14/1998 2nd
Finger Lakes 4/25/1998 2nd
Finger Lakes 4/27/1998 7th
Finger Lakes 5/5/1998 5th
Finger Lakes 5/15/1998 7th
Finger Lakes 5/23/1998 3rd
Finger Lakes 5/30/1998 4th
Finger Lakes 6/13/1998 7th
Finger Lakes 6/23/1998 7th
Finger Lakes 7/6/1998 5th
Finger Lakes 9/8/1998 9th
Northampton 9/5/1999 3rd
Northampton 9/1/2000 2nd
Northampton 9/16/2000 3rd
Penn National 2/16/2001 7th
Nor
thampton 9/9/2001 5th
Northampton 9/15/2001 7th
Penn National 1/31/2002 7th
Penn National 2/28/2002 8th
Northampton 8/31/2002 7th
Northampton 9/8/2002 4th
Northampton 9/15/2002 6th
ThistleDown 4/16/2003 8th
Northampton 9/6/2003 2nd
Northampton 9/4/2004 7th
Northampton 9/10/2004 8th
Team Monserrate. Ten years of tears, beers, and unrehearsed comedy. In the business of racing, they warn you to “never love a horse,” but … (photo credit bm3.1)
To Zippy’s halter plate, they could have added “And Crazy-Ass Horse of the Century.” (photo credit bm3.2)
Hungry, Zippy tries to eat exercise rider Milton Delvalle, starting with his hoodie. Bored, Felix makes a note to bump up the feed bucket. (photo credit bm3.3)
Later, Zippy goes after a pair of pants to match the sweater he ribbed off of Milton. (photo credit bm3.4)
The Great Zippy Chippy, like Secretariat, only. (photo credit bm3.5)
There will never be another like him. (photo credit bm3.6)
The Zipster, with Pedro Castillo in the saddle, is about to disappoint 9,000 of his fans by losing to speedy center fielder Jose Herrera. Man – 1, Beast – 0. (photo credit bm3.7)
Felix and Zippy Chippy were possibly the two most stubborn players in thoroughbred racing. “We may be down, but we ain’t done.” (photo credit bm3.8)
At Rochester’s Frontier Field, Zippy Chippy and Jorge Hiraldo are being led into the history book where they redeemed themselves by finally winning a race.
Man – 1, Beast – 1. (photo credit bm3.9)
Zippy loved racing at Northampton Fair in Massachusetts. He felt so close to his fans and the candy floss. (photo credit bm3.10)
Michael Blowen, owner of Old Friends at Cabin Creek, bet $5,000 that Zippy Chippy would earn more as “The Charmer of Cabin Creek” than he ever did racing. They both cashed in, big time. (photo credit bm3.11)
Old Friends at Cabin Creek near Saratoga, New York is a retirement farm for former racehorses; a peaceful refuge for them to spend their autumn years. (photo credit bm3.12)
The precise moment that Zippy Chippy and Red Down South met. Since then, they have been inseparable stablemates. (photo credit bm3.13)
Zippy Chippy picks the pocket of William Thomas at Cabin Creek. Admits the author: “I am scared shitless of that horse!” (photo credit bm3.14)
After fifteen years of professional racing, which includes 132 trips around the track, now it’s time for Zippy Chippy and Red to just hang out and think about what might have been … and carrots. (photo credit bm3.15)
Marisa at three in a feed bucket. Fortunately, Zippy wasn’t hungry that day. (photo credit bm3.16)
Marisa, five, celebrates her father’s 41st birthday. (photo credit bm3.17)
Marisa Monserrate today – out of the feed bucket and into the serious business of training horses and pony riding at Finger Lakes. (photo credit bm3.18)
THE LAST WORD
If you’ve ever enjoyed a horse race or even this book, if you’ve ever been impressed by the beauty of these muscled and elegant beasts, if you’ve ever spent even a little time with a horse and come away feeling better, then please, support the Old Friends Farms. Michael Blowen and the Peppers are the caretakers of these magnificent creatures who, after their working days are done, remain helpless and homeless.
As charities that help our four-footed friends go, Old Friends is one of the best and most deserving of your donation. Not only would you be helping to make a comfortable life for the ex-champions and also-rans, but you would be helping these farm operators expand their facilities to bring more aging thoroughbreds in out of the cold.
I won’t even mention the alternative option to a retirement; it is far too painful a thought. Please give what you can to yesterday’s heroes, who without Old Friends would be in dire straits. Think of it as placing a bet on Zippy Chippy, only this time you win!
Donations – via PayPal, check, or credit card – will be ever-so-thankfully received at:
Old Friends Farm for Retired Thoroughbreds
1841 Paynes Depot Road
Georgetown, Kentucky 40324
Telephone (502) 863-1775
and/or:
Old Friends at Cabin Creek
483 Sandhill Road
Greenfield Center, New York 12833
Telephone (518) 698-2377
A NOTE ON THE SOURCES
While most of the information presented in this book was obtained from interviews with the aforementioned participants and original research, several sources and publications provided background material that proved most useful in this project including:
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House, 2001)
The Horse God Built:
The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse
by Lawrence Scanlan (Thomas Dunne Books, 2006)
The Ghost Horse: A True Story of Love, Death, and Redemption
by Joe Layden (St. Martin’s Press, 2013)
Northern Dancer: The Legendary Horse That Inspired a Nation
by Kevin Chong (Viking Press, 2014)
An Unbroken Line
by Peter Gzowski (McClelland & Stewart, 1983)
Voices of the Game:
The First Full-Scale Overview of Baseball Broadcasting, 1921 to the Present
by Curt Smith (Diamond Communications, 1987)
Mike Moran, sports editor of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, kindly offered copy he’d written about Zippy Chippy and provided columns filed by previous writers, including Scott Cacciola, Andy Walter, Lou Carlozo, and David Abramowitz.
In addition to these newspaper articles, the columns of Bob Matthews in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that really got the Zippy Chippy story rolling across America were entertaining and helpful. Additional articles I referenced would include: “Our Hero: Mr. Potato has the right stuff” by Jason Stark (Baseball America Online); “HORSE RACING – Races Make Return to Fairgrounds” by Bill Mooney (The New York Times, 2001); “Catching Up With A Lovable Loser” by Bill Littlefield (Only a Game, National Public Radio); and, “Puss N Boots: Splishin’ And A-Splashin’ ” by Nick Cota (Trackside with Trackman).
The following issues of People Magazine were also helpful: May 8, 2000 (“Running Joke”) and December 25, 2000 (“Short On Horsepower.”)
Always at my fingertips were the information bases of Google, Wikipedia (yes, I do send money!), The Blood-Horse magazine, and especially Equibase.
PHOTO CREDITS
bm3.1
Team Monserrate: photo courtesy of Emily Schoeneman
bm3.2
Racing’s Biggest Loser: photo courtesy of Emily Schoeneman
bm3.3
Zippy Chippy, Milton Delvalle, Felix Monserrate: photo used with permission of the Philadelphia Inquirer
bm3.4
Zippy biting pants: photo credit to Connie Bush
bm3.5
Zippy grazing in the field: photo courtesy of Emily Schoeneman
bm3.6
3 County Fair flyer: courtesy of Emily Schoeneman
bm3.7
Pedro Castillo and Zippy Chippy: photo courtesy of the Rochester Red Wings
bm3.8
Felix and Zippy Chippy: photo credit to Emily Schoeneman
bm3.9
Jorge Hiraldo and Zippy Chippy: photo courtesy of the Rochester Red Wings
bm3.10
Zippy Chippy at Northampton Fair: photo courtesy of Emily Schoeneman
bm3.11
Zippy Chippy and Michael Blowen: photo credit to Old Friends at Cabin Creek
bm3.12
Old Friends at Cabin Creek: photo credit to Connie Bush
bm3.13
Zippy Chippy and Red Down South touching noses: photo credit to Connie Bush
bm3.14
William Thomas and Zippy Chippy: photo
credit to Monica Rose
bm3.15
Zippy and Red: photo credit to Old Friends at Cabin Creek
bm3.16
Marisa in the feed bucket: photo credit to Emily Schoeneman
bm3.17
Marisa and Felix: photo credit to Emily Schoeneman
bm3.18
Marisa Monserrate: photo courtesy of Emily Schoeneman
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Thomas is an author, scriptwriter, and nationally syndicated humor columnist. He is the author of ten books, including the runaway bestseller The Dog Rules – Damn Near Everything! William’s work was included in the Great Canadian Anthology of Humor along with fifty of the best humor writers in Canada. www.williamthomas.ca
The Legend of Zippy Chippy Page 24