Jump to content

Jimmy Pitt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jimmy Pitt
OccupationTrainer
Born1920
Nashville, Tennessee,
United States
DiedNovember 21, 1965
Camden, New Jersey,
United States
Resting placeSylvan Abbey Memorial Park Cemetery,
Clearwater, Florida
Major racing wins
Comely Stakes (1959)
Great American Stakes (1959)
Hialeah Juvenile Stakes (1959)
Mayflower Stakes (1959)
Bahamas Stakes (1960)
Flamingo Stakes (1960)
Florida Derby (1960)
Hibiscus Stakes (1960)
Jersey Derby (1960)
Stepping Stone Purse (1960)
Christiana Stakes (1965)
Futurity Trial Stakes (1965)
Great American Stakes (1965)
Juvenile Stakes (1965)
Tyro Stakes (1965)

U.S. Triple Crown wins:
Preakness Stakes (1960)

Racing awards
Florida Turf Writers Association Outstanding Florida Trainer (1960)
Significant horses
Bally Ache, Bee Lee Tee, Our Michael

Homer James "Jimmy" Pitt (1920 – November 21, 1965) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer who race conditioned Bally Ache to win the 1960 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series.

In addition to his skills handling Thoroughbreds, Jimmy Pitt was widely respected as a man of character. A resident of Safety Harbor, Florida, he was the operator of a public stable based at nearby Sunshine Park. He was described in a February 14,1960 Ocala Star Banner article as a quiet spoken man who did not seek to "bask in the limelight." The newspaper referenced a 1959 magazine article by John Lardner about his reputation and a trainer who had accomplished the remarkable feat of keeping a horse named Bee Lee Tee sound and still racing at the age of 12. Owned and trained by Pitt, on March 14, 1959, the gelding had surpassed the $100,000 mark in career earnings, an amount close to $1,000,000 in 2021 dollars based on inflation.[1] [2] His success with Bally Ache led to the Florida Turf Writers Association voting Jimmy Pitt the state's outstanding trainer of 1960.[3]

Jimmy Pitt died on November 21, 1965, at West Jersey Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, after suffering a heart attack at Garden State Park Racetrack shortly after he had saddled Our Michael to run in the Garden State Stakes.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sunshine Park Public Stable Home For Bally Ache Trainer Jimmy Pitt". Ocala Star-Banner. 1960-02-14. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  2. ^ "Mr. Bee of Maumee At $100,000 Mark: Veteran 12-Year-Old Runner Still Going Strong". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. 1959-05-06. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  3. ^ "Sunshine Trainer Voted Outstanding In State". St. Petersburg Times. 1961-01-19. Archived from the original on 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  4. ^ "Jimmy Pitt, 45, Dead, Trainer of Horses". New York Times, page 37. 1965-11-22. Retrieved 2020-09-03.