08/01/2025
A Tribute to Jimmy McConnell
by Kyle R. Thomas
The Celebration Arena should dim its lights tonight, while everyone removes their hats. The walking horse industry lost one of its true stars this week.
James Dale (Jimmy) McConnell passed away on Tuesday, July 29th, at his home in Shelbyville.
McConnell won his first blue ribbon at The Celebration in 1970, and he would go on to make over 200 trips to the Winner’s Circle, collecting dozens of championships and floral horseshoes.
With all of his accomplishments that he will now be remembered for, it would be easy to forget that for a long time, it was far from certain that he would ever win the Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Championship. He had to settle for reserve honors on the Saturday night before Labor Day more times than he would have wanted to admit, most notably finishing second in 1997 aboard Pusher’s Twist About, and then again in 2003 with The Black Night Shade. One could wonder then if he would ever be able to get it done.
He finally did win the World Grand Championship in 2004, at the age of 56, with The Black Night Shade, a horse with his own colorful history. Night Shade was orphaned shortly after he was foaled, and he lived his first few days exclusively on goat’s milk.
Once Jimmy won his first title, though, there was no stopping him. He won his next WGC with Master of Jazz in 2007, an emotional ride on an emotional night, one that followed the first year that a Celebration champion was not crowned. He then won another WGC in 2009 aboard Watch It Now, before winning his fourth and final WGC with Gen A’Mighty in 2018.
His four World Grand Championships is tied for second-most in Celebration history, an honor he shares with John Allan Callaway and Billy Gray. They only trail Winston Wiser, who won his record-setting fifth WGC in 1956.
Even after surpassing the federal retirement age, Jimmy continued to prosper. Just in the past 15 years, in addition to his WGC ride aboard Gen A’Mighty, Jimmy won six other floral horseshoes: he won the Four-Year-Old WGC in 2010 with Dark & Shady. The next night, he picked up the Two-Year-Old WGC atop Pro V1. In 2016, he won another Two-Year-Old WGC with Jimmy Choo, and he followed that with the Four-Year-Old WGC in 2019 atop Gin’s Shadow. He concluded his floral horseshoe haul in 2023, but he added two more. He won the Two-Year-Old Mares WGC with Gimme A Redneck Girl, before winning the Two-Year-Old WGC aboard No Apology. All since 2010. Quite the curriculum vitae for a man who had already celebrated his 63rd birthday.
McConnell’s stature as one of the preeminent showmen in the industry is evidenced by the fact that for many years, young judges have been advised to consider tying Jimmy in close classes. So the advice goes, he would “always make you look good on the victory pass.” Such was his reputation.
With his passing, the Tennessee Walking Horse industry loses a fierce competitor but also a consummate gentleman. And even with 78 years under his belt, it still feels as though he is gone way too soon.
It is now time to saddle up the riderless horse, to honor Jimmy McConnell with one last spotlight ride. His legacy speaks for itself. He will rightly be remembered as one of the all-time greats, and we now owe him our thanks. Thanks for the great horses and just as many great memories. Thanks for making every class he entered better. And thanks for his star power within this industry, which shone so brightly.
