The First And Only Horse Race Won By A Dead Man
The unfortunate jockey was dead as his horse crossed the finish line in a surprising first place
Horse racing is a difficult business. To be any good requires an immense amount of hard work and a healthy dash of luck. Even then, only a select few find success. This is true of Frank Hayes, a jockey from a century ago, who participated in and won only one race in his career but was unfortunately dead in the saddle when his winning mount crossed the finish line.
Hayes was born around the turn of last century in Ireland. When he was a teenager he and his family emigrated to Brooklyn in 1916. He quickly found work at a horse track, riding jumpers and doing grunt work like mucking stalls and anything else around the stables that would get him a step closer to his goal of being a jockey.
The 22-year-old finally got his big chance on June 4, 1923 at Belmont Park in New York. He was given a chance by his employer, Miss A.M. Frayling, to ride a horse named Sweet Kiss. The horse had also never ridden in a sanctioned race before and at 20–1 odds, the mount was not favored to win. However, it was a chance for Hayes to start a new chapter on his career.
Hayes was seen slumping over the horse in the waning seconds of the race. Sweet Kiss…
