Background
He was born in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, New York, the son of George Fitzsimmons, a farmer, and Catherine Murphy.
He was born in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, New York, the son of George Fitzsimmons, a farmer, and Catherine Murphy.
At the age of eleven he began working at the Brennan Brothers Stable in Sheepshead Bay, washing dishes and cleaning stalls. During this time he met George ("Fish") Tappan, who remained with him for seventy years as his assistant.
Fitzsimmons was an exercise boy for the Dwyer brothers in Sheepshead Bay, and he became a jockey in 1889, the year that he took a job at a small track in Gloucester, New Jersey.
In 1890 he rode his first winner, a horse named Crispin. Despite a desperate struggle to keep his weight down, Fitzsimmons became too heavy to be a jockey, and in 1894 he began training horses.
For years thereafter he endured hardships on the training circuit. He kept a public stable and owned a few horses, but it was not until his middle age that his luck changed; he always emphasized the importance of luck.
In 1914 he began to attract attention as the trainer for the Quincy Stable, which was owned by James F. Johnson. Because Johnson missed a yearling auction in 1918, he missed getting Man o' War; Fitzsimmons, representing him, was the last man to drop out of the bidding. Becoming the trainer for William Woodward's Belair Stud Farm in 1924 was Fitzsimmons' great opportunity. The next year, he also took on the new Wheatley Stable of Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps and her brother, Ogden L. Mills, who later became secretary of the treasury in Herbert Hoover's cabinet. Fitzsimmons picked Dice as a yearling, along with Diavolo and Distraction.
In 1927, Dice was unbeaten in five starts. No horse did as much to advance Fitzsimmons' career as Gallant Fox, who was named Horse of the Year in 1930. Earl Sande came out of retirement that year to ride him, and Gallant Fox won $308, 165 in purses, making Fitzsimmons the leading trainer in money won.
In 1930 his horses earned $397, 355, of which Fitzsimmons' share was 10 percent. Called "a phenomenal race horse" in the Jockey Club's Racing in America, Gallant Fox won the Triple Crown, finishing first in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes.
Faireno's victory in the Belmont Stakes in 1932 was one of sixty-eight that year for Fitzsimmons; again, his horses won more money than any other trainer's. Dark Secret, winner of fifteen stakes races, was trained by Fitzsimmons as an outstanding distance horse.
During winter seasons, Fitzsimmons raced his horses in Florida. He also owned a company that manufactured Bigeloil (a cure-all for horses and people), and he invented several devices, including a special plate for injured hooves and a diathermy machine.
High Voltage was the champion two-year-old filly of 1954, and Misty Morn, the champion three-year-old and handicap filly of 1955. Modest and cheerful, Fitzsimmons was a favorite of the press. George Dailey of the New York World is credited with giving him the nickname Sunny Jim.
Fitzsimmons' horses excelled at distances of 1. 5 miles and more, where conditioning is the key to success.
When he was over eighty, Fitzsimmons was not only still working but still at the top of his field.
He often watched television (he preferred westerns) and sometimes commented on the horses. Severe arthritis--which he blamed on the punishing weight-loss regimen of his jockey days--had bent his back so far that he stooped over almost double.
Fitzsimmons retired in 1963 after a seventy-eight-year career that included winning the Kentucky Derby three times, the Preakness four times, the Belmont Stakes six times, and the Wood Memorial eight times.
But Fitzsimmons did not want his grandsons working at the track. He explained to his biographer, Jimmy Breslin, "What sense does it make to get into a business of pure luck? That's all the race track is. Now I'm a winner at it. But I keep tellin' you, all them horses could've lost. "
Fitzsimmons died in Miami, Florida.
On September 15, 1934, Dark Secret broke his leg winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. During this period, Fitzsimmons trained other notable horses. Omaha won the Triple Crown in 1935, as well as the Dwyer and the Arlington Classic. Granville was named Best Horse of the Year by the Daily Racing Form in 1936; he won the Belmont Stakes, Arlington Classic, Lawrence, Realization, Travers, and Saratoga Cup. Johnstown, one of Fitzsimmons' fastest horses, won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Withers, and Dwyer in 1939. On October 13, 1956, Nashua, in his last race, won the two-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup in the record time of 3:20 2/5. The jockey was Eddie Arcaro, who rode another Fitzsimmons horse, Bold Ruler, to victory in the Futurity later that day. Nashua, who in 1955 had won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes and who had beaten Swaps in a match race, earned a record total of $1, 288, 565 in three years of racing. Bold Ruler was named Horse of the Year in 1957. His horses won over 2, 000 races and over $13, 000, 000 in purses. In recognition of his accomplishments, in 1958 Fitzsimmons was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Quotations: He revealed his secret for longevity in a New York Times Magazine interview: "Keep regular hours, eat simple foods, get plenty of fresh air, and remember that humans are inconsistent. "
Quotes from others about the person
He was also called Mr. Fitz. The sportswriter Red Smith wrote, "One of the greatest privileges was to be with him around the barns in the morning. " Fitzsimmons was even popular with owners who had been beaten by his horses. Alfred Vanderbilt remarked, "Sometimes he has the better horse, and sometimes the better-conditioned horse. "
Fitzsimmons married Jennie Harvey on December 29, 1892; they had six children. Two of his sons, John and James, worked as his assistant trainers.
mother Catherine Murphy
During this time he met George ("Fish") Tappan, who remained with him for seventy years as his assistant.
son James Fitzsimmons
It is reported that he rode for Frank James, Jesse James's brother. .
