I just finished “Out of the Clouds,” about Stymie and Hirsch Jacobs, and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. There were some reviewers who complained that it “wasn’t enough about the horse,” but a book like this is as much a social history as the story of a champion racehorse. I found it fascinating. We’ve all heard of Damon Runyon and the high rollers fictionalized and celebrated in “Guys and Dolls,” but I never knew of his relationship with Jacobs. And while I knew of Jacobs as a trainer, I didn’t realize how successful he’d been as aTB breeder. Interesting stuff.
I remember Jacobs for Affectionately–I was at Monmouth the day she won the Sorority. Came out of the gate on her toes, and was untouchable thereafter.
Affectionately was out of Searching, who also was dam of Priceless Gem, also a terrific filly.
My dad used to take me to the races at Monmouth, and we hung out with a bunch of guys right out of Damon Runyon. One time the jockey fell off a hot favorite at the start. One of the guys started to curse, and another said, “Hey, the kid is here.” He stifled his curses, ran to the other end of the grandstand, and turned the air around him blue.
The books says that when they did a dispersal of his bloodstock, Affectionately was the one they did not sell.
Thanks, just purchased the hardcover copy 
