Almost 100 years ago, Frank Hayes forever inscribed his name in the history of sports. He won a bright, sensational victory, being … a dead man.
The centuries-old history of horse racing knows many amazing victories, about which books were written and legends were made. But only once in 100 years has a dead man won the race. Moreover, he won according to the sports principle, in accordance with all the rules of the competition, having come to the finish line faster than anyone else. Let’s figure out how such an incredible, at first glance, event turned out to be possible.
Victory and death
Jockey Frank Hayes on a horse named Sweet Kiss, which means “sweet kiss” in Russian, on June 4, 1923, raced along the track in Belmont Park like a madman. Before the start, this pair was considered outsiders of the competition: bets on them were taken 20 to 1. But those brave men who dared to make such a bet clutched their heads with happiness: at the finish line Sweet Kiss took the lead and outstripped his closest competitors.
A terrible picture opened up to those present: the jockey’s mouth was open, as if he was convulsively gasping for air, and his face was twisted from pain.
The owner of the horse was a certain Miss Freiling, she, in the company of her friends, as well as the judges, hurried to the winners to personally congratulate them on such an outstanding result. But, approaching the horse, everyone sensed something was wrong: Hayes in the saddle did not move, and indeed did not show any signs of life. A terrible picture opened up to those present: the jockey’s mouth was open, as if he was convulsively gasping for air, and his face was twisted from pain. But most importantly, Hayes had no pulse. He would be dead.
Can a dead man win?
Doctors had no difficulty in diagnosing Hayes with a heart attack. The main question was: did it happen at a distance, or the jockey was so impressed by the unexpected victory that he got a blow. As a result, according to indirect indications, the doctors established that the man had died while still at a distance, and Sweet Kiss, who was reputed to be a very intelligent and well-trained horse, completed the race at the highest speed even without prodding his rider.
Can a dead man be a winner? The judges decided that they can.
Following the doctors, the organizers of the competition had to make their verdict. Can a dead man be a winner? The judges decided that they can. After all, Hayes did not violate the rules of the competition and, no matter how cynical it may sound, he finished in the saddle in first place. Victory was awarded to the dead and Sweet Kiss, Miss Frailene was awarded the first prize, and the lucky ones were paid at the rates. Everything was as usual, but the organizers, for obvious reasons, decided to abandon the weighing procedure for jockeys after the race.
First and last
But it was the weight reduction that most likely became the reason for the appearance of such a tragicomic plot. After all, Frank Hayes, who, in general, was not a professional jockey, but mainly worked as a horse trainer and an ordinary groom, so wanted to win that the day before the races he drove the weight from 65 to 59 kg and went to the start almost exhausted. The physical activity during the race for the jockey at the limit of strength turned out to be fatal.
The innocent horse began to be called nothing less than “Sweet kiss of death”, and its owner never again put it on the race.
For both Frank and Sweet Kiss, this victory was the first and the last. The jockey was buried three days later in the same bright costume in which he achieved the main success in his life and died. The innocent horse began to be called nothing less than “Sweet kiss of death”, and its owner never again put it on the race. However, one victory was enough not to forget it even after almost a century. In the past 96 years, not a single dead person has ever won the races.