Druther
03-18-2001, 01:02 PM
Zippy Chippy Finishes First but Officially Still a Maiden
by The Associated Press
Date Posted: 3/17/01 7:09:17 PM
Last Updated: 3/17/01 9:18:55 PM
Finally, his owner found a race Zippy Chippy could win.
The losingest Thoroughbred in North American history beat a Standardbred horse renamed Paddy's Lady on Saturday at Freehold Raceway.
Last year, the horse -- acquired by Felix Monserrate in 1995 in exchange for an old van -- even lost to a two-legged opponent. A minor-league baseball player with a head-start outpaced the 10-year-old gelding in a 40-yard dash.
In Saturday's race, the standardbred had a 20-length head-start. Of course, Paddy's Lady -- renamed just for the race, apparently as a safeguard against horsey humiliation -- also had to pull a bike with a driver behind him. With a deficit to begin with, Zippy Chippy and jockey Eugene Olmo had to come from behind to win the half-mile race. He made it -- but only by a neck.
"I thought I was going to hold on at the wire, but he just out-kicked me," said Catello Manzi, who drove Paddy's Lady and has been behind more than 8,500 winners in his career.
Because the race was an exhibition, Zippy Chippy officially maintains his 0-for-89 record.
"It feels good to win," Monserrate said. "But it doesn't count until we do it against the Thoroughbreds. Maybe winning this will give him a little heart."
Zippy Chippy can continue running in races for maidens, horses who have never won.
The closest he has come to winning against other Thoroughbreds in his eight years was a second-place finish last summer at the Northampton Fair in Massachusetts. He was beaten by a neck.
Copyright © 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
by The Associated Press
Date Posted: 3/17/01 7:09:17 PM
Last Updated: 3/17/01 9:18:55 PM
Finally, his owner found a race Zippy Chippy could win.
The losingest Thoroughbred in North American history beat a Standardbred horse renamed Paddy's Lady on Saturday at Freehold Raceway.
Last year, the horse -- acquired by Felix Monserrate in 1995 in exchange for an old van -- even lost to a two-legged opponent. A minor-league baseball player with a head-start outpaced the 10-year-old gelding in a 40-yard dash.
In Saturday's race, the standardbred had a 20-length head-start. Of course, Paddy's Lady -- renamed just for the race, apparently as a safeguard against horsey humiliation -- also had to pull a bike with a driver behind him. With a deficit to begin with, Zippy Chippy and jockey Eugene Olmo had to come from behind to win the half-mile race. He made it -- but only by a neck.
"I thought I was going to hold on at the wire, but he just out-kicked me," said Catello Manzi, who drove Paddy's Lady and has been behind more than 8,500 winners in his career.
Because the race was an exhibition, Zippy Chippy officially maintains his 0-for-89 record.
"It feels good to win," Monserrate said. "But it doesn't count until we do it against the Thoroughbreds. Maybe winning this will give him a little heart."
Zippy Chippy can continue running in races for maidens, horses who have never won.
The closest he has come to winning against other Thoroughbreds in his eight years was a second-place finish last summer at the Northampton Fair in Massachusetts. He was beaten by a neck.
Copyright © 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.