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Nimblefoot
The untold story of Johnny Day, Australia’s first international sports hero – a tale of mishap, adventure, chase, chance and luck – from one of Australia’s finest writers.
At the age of ten, and just short of four feet tall, a boy from Ballarat named Johnny Day became Australia’s first international sporting hero. Against adult competition he wooed crowds across continents as the World Champion in pedestrianism, the sporting craze of the day.
A few years later, in 1870, he won the Melbourne Cup on a horse aptly called Nimblefoot, this time impressing British royalty and Melbourne’s high society. And then, still aged only fourteen, this already-famous athlete and jockey disappeared without a trace.
Robert Drewe picks up where history leaves off, re-imagining Johnny’s life following his great Cup win. Celebrations that night land him in the company of Prince Alfred himself and some key Melbourne identities. But when Johnny becomes a reluctant witness to two murders in the town’s most notorious brothel, he finds himself on the run again – this time from the law itself.
In fear of his life he heads west, assuming different identities to outsmart his pursuers. Yet all the while Johnny fears his luck will soon run out.
Johnny Day is a character that couldn’t be invented, but in the masterful re-imagining of his life Robert Drewe brings us an adventure story, a coming-of-age classic, a man-hunt, a thriller – but most of all, a rollicking good yarn. And in doing so, he lays claim to Johnny Day’s rightful place in Australia’s illustrious sporting history.
At the age of ten, and just short of four feet tall, a boy from Ballarat named Johnny Day became Australia’s first international sporting hero. Against adult competition he wooed crowds across continents as the World Champion in pedestrianism, the sporting craze of the day.
A few years later, in 1870, he won the Melbourne Cup on a horse aptly called Nimblefoot, this time impressing British royalty and Melbourne’s high society. And then, still aged only fourteen, this already-famous athlete and jockey disappeared without a trace.
Robert Drewe picks up where history leaves off, re-imagining Johnny’s life following his great Cup win. Celebrations that night land him in the company of Prince Alfred himself and some key Melbourne identities. But when Johnny becomes a reluctant witness to two murders in the town’s most notorious brothel, he finds himself on the run again – this time from the law itself.
In fear of his life he heads west, assuming different identities to outsmart his pursuers. Yet all the while Johnny fears his luck will soon run out.
Johnny Day is a character that couldn’t be invented, but in the masterful re-imagining of his life Robert Drewe brings us an adventure story, a coming-of-age classic, a man-hunt, a thriller – but most of all, a rollicking good yarn. And in doing so, he lays claim to Johnny Day’s rightful place in Australia’s illustrious sporting history.
307 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2022
10 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Robert Drewe
60 books81 followersRobert Drewe is among Australia’s most loved writers – of novels, memoir and short stories. His iconic Australian books include The Shark Net, The Bodysurfers and Our Sunshine. He is also editor of Black Inc.’s Best Australian Stories annual series. Recently, he has revisited the short story himself, with a masterful new collection, The Rip. Jo Case spoke to him for Readings about storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 26, 2023
I didn’t like the jumbled narrative, writing in chronological order would have made for a better read. Hated the last chapter, so not necessary.
September 22, 2025
This novel is a mix of some non-fictional and mostly fictional biography of a remarkable child athlete and world-beater, Johnny Day, who from the age of 8(!) walked (or pedestrianed) his way to fame in Australia and England (and maybe the USA...it's hard to know where facts end and make-believe takes up). Then he becomes a Melbourne Cup winner - still Australia's greatest horse race - as an apprentice jockey at the age of 14.
And then?...well, who knows?...Since the real Johnny Day seems to drop off the face of the Earth after this point, fiction takes over completely...and it's quite a wild ride. A mix of city and small-town Australian life in the 1870s, royal indelicacies (to say the least), murder, and much more.
Australian culture and the environment, whether inland or coastal, town or pastoral or wilderness, is spirited and different, and many aspects are beautifully elaborated in this novel with elan and no fuss.
It's a page turner. Easy to read. Certainly inventive. And, well, I liked it.
And then?...well, who knows?...Since the real Johnny Day seems to drop off the face of the Earth after this point, fiction takes over completely...and it's quite a wild ride. A mix of city and small-town Australian life in the 1870s, royal indelicacies (to say the least), murder, and much more.
Australian culture and the environment, whether inland or coastal, town or pastoral or wilderness, is spirited and different, and many aspects are beautifully elaborated in this novel with elan and no fuss.
It's a page turner. Easy to read. Certainly inventive. And, well, I liked it.
December 22, 2023
I mean I read it, but I’ll be damned if I could tell you what I read. I found the storyline very confusing following Johnny’s mad dash from Ballarat following his father’s murder. Not for me at all, I’m afraid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2022
Nimblefoot, the eighth novel from the prolific Australian author Robert Drewe (b.1943), is an intriguing mixture of rollicking yarn, social exposé and a mischievous flirtation with the historical truth. It's a fictionalised version of the all-but-forgotten story of Australia's first international sporting star, Johnny Day (1856–1885) who in real life was an undefeated child winner of walking races in the 1860s, who went on to win the 1970 Melbourne Cup on a horse coincidentally called Nimblefoot and who then disappeared out of the historical record.
Click here to see an image of Johnny Day at Trove. Drewe says in the Afterword that it's the only picture of Johnny in existence and that he was captivated by it:
Did you follow that link? So, in the Afterword excerpt, did you notice the red shorts described in a sepia print? Did you notice where Johnny's impressive sash is? Did you then Google Johnny, to find him featured on the ABC no less, back in 2014? Fossick around online a little more and lo! Click here to see another image of Johnny Day, this one at the National Portrait Gallery.
*chuckle* These are signals that the author is being playful, eh? Clearly, the reader needs to be alert...
The first part of the novel brings Johnny's childhood to life, and while this is a book intended to entertain, there are aspects of this childhood that will give a reader pause. We have, sadly, been made only too well aware of historical institutional abuse and exploitation of indigenous and parentless children; and while A.B. Facey's autobiography
A Fortunate Life,
by A.B. Facey (1894-1982) covers a period some decades later than Drewe's novel, it gives a vivid picture of a childhood of neglect and exploitation that was commonplace for children of the working class. Drewe's novel, while not labouring the point, also illuminates the pitilessness of 19th century life for the children of feckless parents.
The 'rollicking yarn' in Nimblefoot is a smokescreen for a novel that reveals a devastating portrait of the way children were treated in the colonial era. Transpose the way Johnny Day's parent exploited his son's precocious talent to the present day, and he'd be hauled up before welfare authorities and the media would have a field day.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2022/08/11/n...
Click here to see an image of Johnny Day at Trove. Drewe says in the Afterword that it's the only picture of Johnny in existence and that he was captivated by it:
Johnny and his exploits were completely unknown to me — and also to everyone to whom I subsequently mentioned him. I was riveted by the sepia print of a confident little Australian kid wearing a winner's sash and red athletic shorts and leaning nonchalantly on a milestone on a winding dirt road in the English countryside. (p.302)
Did you follow that link? So, in the Afterword excerpt, did you notice the red shorts described in a sepia print? Did you notice where Johnny's impressive sash is? Did you then Google Johnny, to find him featured on the ABC no less, back in 2014? Fossick around online a little more and lo! Click here to see another image of Johnny Day, this one at the National Portrait Gallery.
*chuckle* These are signals that the author is being playful, eh? Clearly, the reader needs to be alert...
The first part of the novel brings Johnny's childhood to life, and while this is a book intended to entertain, there are aspects of this childhood that will give a reader pause. We have, sadly, been made only too well aware of historical institutional abuse and exploitation of indigenous and parentless children; and while A.B. Facey's autobiography
A Fortunate Life,
by A.B. Facey (1894-1982) covers a period some decades later than Drewe's novel, it gives a vivid picture of a childhood of neglect and exploitation that was commonplace for children of the working class. Drewe's novel, while not labouring the point, also illuminates the pitilessness of 19th century life for the children of feckless parents.The 'rollicking yarn' in Nimblefoot is a smokescreen for a novel that reveals a devastating portrait of the way children were treated in the colonial era. Transpose the way Johnny Day's parent exploited his son's precocious talent to the present day, and he'd be hauled up before welfare authorities and the media would have a field day.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2022/08/11/n...
January 19, 2023
A great read which combines history and fiction craftily for a meandering and adventurous tale. Excepting a few abhorrent scenes the book is an enjoyable pondering of the possible remainder of Johnny Day’s life.
November 27, 2022
An engaging story built around history that I did not know. Thanks for the education.
October 25, 2022
A satisfactory 'beach read'. Could've been better if the author had used humour.
June 9, 2023
A great old-fashioned Australian yarn - Robert Drewe is an amazing story-teller. Loved it.
Read
November 14, 2023This was last month's F2F bookclub book, which I just could not finish because of the pointless animal cruelty. Which I get was probably accurate for the time but it was so matter of fact, I just couldn't.
September 27, 2022
Drew has dug up a true story (with an early press photo) of Johnny Day, son of a Ballarat butcher, who from 8 years old is a champion of the Victorian passion for pedestrianism. He can walk faster than adults for 60 miles or so. He becomes a world champion, earning around a million or more which his father gambles away, other money he wins just isn’t given to him or to his father. He is short, just right to be a jockey when he is 14. He is apprenticed to look after Nimblefoot, a horse with a top pedigree, but which hasn’t been much of a success, until Day rides him to victory in the 1870 Melbourne Cup, at which Prince Alfred attends. True so far, but after that Day disappears from history and Drewe tells a story of what might have happened to him. Prince Alfred takes the winning jockey still in his riding gear to a brothel in Melbourne, with his bodyguards and the Victorian Police Commission Standish, which the Prince and his entourage often did attend. A young prostitute is poisoned by Alfred with cantharides, Spanish fly, considered wrongly to be an aphrodisiac. All naïve witnesses are killed, except Johnny who runs into hiding. But the Prince’s reputation is at stake; Johnny must be found and killed. First he goes back to Ballarat: his father is killed but he’s on the run again. After that is a series of unlikely picaresque adventures, including meeting up with Anthony Trollope in Perth where he, busting to tell his achievements to someone, does so to Trollope. Trollope returns to London, where he writes about the astonishing adventures of Day, that gets back to Standish who words up the WA police and hires an assassin to kill Day. The writing is jerky, an adventure here and another there, some in third person which often switches even in the same paragraph to Johnny’ first person. Drew is obviously having a wonderful time writing this but it’s over the top, hilarious at times, even irritating at others. The resurrection of Day is a wonderful piece of research by Drewe, and the story episode by episode is always interesting, rather nearly always: the mad pursuit of Day even after the Prince had died of syphilis back in the UK is unlikely. Nimblefoot the horse is mentioned in only one episode, but nimblefootedness is what Johnny Day is about.
May 23, 2023
I've been a fan of Robert Drewe's writing ever since reading The Shark Net in Year 12, and Nimblefoot ranks up there with his best.
Drewe's research for Nimblefoot was cobbled together from various Australian archives. Based on the limited information available, he brings Johnny Day's little known story to life with his trademark embellishments of the truth.
While not a spoiler, the book's afterword - while necessary to set the record straight - somewhat spoils what had been, until that point, an incredibly interesting read. That said, it does explain the almost-definitely-too-good-to-be-true moments of the novel, particularly many of the events in the second half. Despite this, through reading Nimblefoot I'm pleased to have been enlightened about the sport of pedestrianism, some early Melbourne Cup history, and life in Australia in the lead-up to Federation in the colonies of Victoria and Western Australia, Drewe's original and adopted states respectively.
While not as enthralling Montebello, in which Drewe is at his autobiographical best, Nimblefoot is a great Australian novel about a young champion of two sports about whom, unfortunately, very little is known. Could this have actually been his life? Who's to say? But considering someone did, I'm glad it was Robert Drewe.
Drewe's research for Nimblefoot was cobbled together from various Australian archives. Based on the limited information available, he brings Johnny Day's little known story to life with his trademark embellishments of the truth.
While not a spoiler, the book's afterword - while necessary to set the record straight - somewhat spoils what had been, until that point, an incredibly interesting read. That said, it does explain the almost-definitely-too-good-to-be-true moments of the novel, particularly many of the events in the second half. Despite this, through reading Nimblefoot I'm pleased to have been enlightened about the sport of pedestrianism, some early Melbourne Cup history, and life in Australia in the lead-up to Federation in the colonies of Victoria and Western Australia, Drewe's original and adopted states respectively.
While not as enthralling Montebello, in which Drewe is at his autobiographical best, Nimblefoot is a great Australian novel about a young champion of two sports about whom, unfortunately, very little is known. Could this have actually been his life? Who's to say? But considering someone did, I'm glad it was Robert Drewe.
September 23, 2022
An immensely enjoyable fictionalised biography of Johnny Day, a child pedestrian prodigy who won races against grown men and became an international star. Later he was a Melbourne Cup winning jockey on Nimblefoot (thus the title). Drewe has done a great job of bring the history of the 1870s-1880s to life. And while the subject matter is, well, racy, it also has a kind of touching gentleness, both in its eventual romantic narrative arc and the restrained temperament of the main character. Drewe was drawn back across the continent, again. I'm from WA and some of my family are buried in Albany so I particularly enjoyed this diversion across the continent. Anyone with an interest in Victorian colonial history and a good sporting yarn will find this book extremely satisfying.
January 15, 2023
I like to encourage Australian authors, being one myself, unfortunately I could only give Drewe 3 stars.
The pick of the story is clever.
An 'unknown' Australian hero who is not covered in histories dialogue; Drewe re-imagines what might have happened to him.
Unfortunately his telling falls into disarray because he fails to explain why he thinks John Day takes a particular course. He stumbles from one short story to another, although connected, they mean little. His last story could just as easily been his first of the re-imagining which makes his previous stories only padding.
The concept could have been better told.
The pick of the story is clever.
An 'unknown' Australian hero who is not covered in histories dialogue; Drewe re-imagines what might have happened to him.
Unfortunately his telling falls into disarray because he fails to explain why he thinks John Day takes a particular course. He stumbles from one short story to another, although connected, they mean little. His last story could just as easily been his first of the re-imagining which makes his previous stories only padding.
The concept could have been better told.
March 8, 2023
A fictionalised account closely based on the early life of Johnny Day, jockey on Nimblefoot when it won the Melbourne Cup in 1870 and an international walking (pedestrian) champion/prodigy before then.
His later life is a more inventive narrative and cleverly tied in with Prince Alfred’s 1870 visit to Australia and Day's consequent time as a fugitive in Western Australia.
It’s a very Australian and a very readable novel with real historical authenticity (although that becomes perhaps a little too modern in the ultimate location and story). Johnny Day is an appealing character in a tough era. An impressive achievement.
His later life is a more inventive narrative and cleverly tied in with Prince Alfred’s 1870 visit to Australia and Day's consequent time as a fugitive in Western Australia.
It’s a very Australian and a very readable novel with real historical authenticity (although that becomes perhaps a little too modern in the ultimate location and story). Johnny Day is an appealing character in a tough era. An impressive achievement.
March 6, 2024
This is an enjoyable read with a great story at its heart. The fascinating true life of sporting hero Johnny Day, walker (pedestrianism) & Melbourne Cup winning jockey, forms the basis of these yarns. Little is known of his life after winning the Cup in 1870, and Drewe cleverly imagines a life on the run, mainly in West Australia, caught up in events beyond his control. Drewe is a great writer and he has made this story into a great yarn. But as a novel, rather than a series of escapades, it falls a bit short. Add half a star.
September 17, 2023
This is truly an Australian story. The novel is based upon the life of Johnny Day, a boy wonder in the 1860's and 1870's. He won pedestrian events around the globe and then was the winning jockey in the Melbourne Cup horse race in 1870. Shortly thereafter, Johnny disappeared and in "real life", he truly disappeared. This novel is just a really good story and creates life in Australia in the late 1800's. The author creates a life for Johnny Day after his disappearance.
September 21, 2023
An enjoyable book, the squalid lives (morally and physically) of the working class in circa 1850s - 1890s Australia are explored in a humorous and engaging reimagining of the life of one of Australia’s first ever sporting heroes.
Nothing much is known of Johnny Day’s life after his early sporting victories, and Drewe imagines him having to go on the run after witnessing some corrupt police behaviour.
A series of extraordinary events follow, some tragic, some amusing.
Overall: recommended.
Nothing much is known of Johnny Day’s life after his early sporting victories, and Drewe imagines him having to go on the run after witnessing some corrupt police behaviour.
A series of extraordinary events follow, some tragic, some amusing.
Overall: recommended.
January 9, 2023
Enjoyable well paced read. Johnny Day was a real life world world champion in pedestrianism at the age of 10, and was then a 14 year old jockey who rode the Melbourne Cup winner Nimlefoot in 1870. After that nothing is known of Day and that is where Robert Drew's reimagining takes over. Drew inserts Johnny into a number of Australia's social and historical events and builds up a rollicking yarn.
May 17, 2023
A well-crafted, rollicking story based on the life of the enigmatic Johnny Day, world champion child 'pedestrianist' and winning Melbourne Cup jockey.
Day disappeared into anonymity after his Cup win in 1870 and Robert Drewe's imagined depiction of his life after the Cup win is entertaining, enjoyably far-fetched and very clever.
Day disappeared into anonymity after his Cup win in 1870 and Robert Drewe's imagined depiction of his life after the Cup win is entertaining, enjoyably far-fetched and very clever.
September 12, 2022
A really enjoyable journey into mid nineteenth century Australia with engaging characters and a clever plot. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a cleverly written, but easy to read, well paced novel.
January 23, 2025
A funny and uplifting tale that follows the life of Johnny Day (a real person) who was a champion walker and Melbourne Cup rider. Would have liked more on these achievements but the story mostly focuses on what became of this young chap.
Read
November 1, 20224.5
November 10, 2022
Great read. Excellent sense of place and tone.
December 31, 2022
It is a solid 68% read.
February 24, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyable. Is Drewe Australia's most underrated author? Eminently readable, a journalist's eye for detail and a love of the quirkier moments in our history, he rarely disappoints.
November 20, 2023
3 1/2 stars. A little dry, but a fascinating glimpse into the history of pedestrian racing (something new I learnt!) and horse racing.
February 12, 2023
read, gave-up-on
October 12, 2022
Just a wonderful bit of storytelling. Beautifully constructed and executed. This is yet another reminder what a wonderful writer this author is. Historical fiction, at its best, and not to be missed!
August 21, 2023
4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews