The story of Frank Hayes, the only jockey to win a horse race while dead

Frank Hayes is believed to be the only jockey in history to win an official horse race while dead.
Yes, that’s true, as he suffered a heart attack while competing at New York’s Belmont Park in 1923!

According to his mother, the young stable boy and apprentice jockey had always been fond of horses and dreamed of one day becoming a full-time race jockey, so when finally given the chance to prove himself in a 2-mile, 12-jump race at Belmont Park, he leaped at the opportunity.
Frank loved training horses, and one of his favorites was Sweet Kiss, a 7-year-old unremarkable mare that wasn’t well thought of even by her owners, with 20-1 odds in the big race.
Of course, It wasn’t expected to pull off anything extraordinary, but Frank believed she could win, so the horse’s owners gave him the chance to prove it.
This would be their only race together, but one that would be remembered even a century later.

Having the opportunity to prove himself in a big race at New York’s Belmont Park meant everything to Frank, but there was one big problem.
He weighed 142 pounds (around 64,5 kg), way too much for a respectable jockey, and he needed to lose weight fast, and he was told that the only way he could take part in the race was to slim down to 130 pounds (about 59 kg).
Although with only days to go, it was an almost impossible goal, Frank wasn’t going to let the opportunity of a lifetime pass him by and, according to the Buffalo Morning Express, he embarked on a grueling weight loss routine that involved hours and hours of intense exercise and minimal food intake.
However, with only 24 hours before the race, he was still 10 pounds (4/5 kg) over the limit, and so he pushed himself even harder, denying himself water and sweating really a lot.
He did it, but as he climbed in the saddle for the race, he was visibly weak and tired.
And so, it was June 4th when Frank Hayes made history.
After a brilliant race that kept spectators on the edge of their seats, Sweet Kiss crossed the finish line first, beating fan favorite Gimme by a head.
It was a shocking win that no one, least of all the horse’s owners, expected, but when they came to guide Sweet Kiss to the winner’s circle, they almost didn’t notice that there was something wrong with the jockey.
Frank lay motionless in the saddle, and the race doctor soon pronounced him dead.
In short, at some point during the race, he suffered a heart attack and slumped against his horse, even if he never fell off.
Experts had observed that Sweet Kiss swerved slightly while approaching the final jump, which was later attributed to the jockey slumping forward too much. Although It was a surreal win, as the jockey stayed on the horse until they crossed the finish line, the result was valid.

At the time, newspapers wrote that the “exertion and excitement proved too great” for Frank Hayes, but few knew about his pre-existing health problems, which were undoubtedly linked to his extreme weight-loss routine.
Either way, Frank became the first jockey to win a horse race while dead, and his name became a legend of the sport, despite this being only his second-ever race.
And, as for Sweet Kiss, she never raced again, apparently because the tragedy of Frank’s death made jockeys unwilling to ride her.
And, to make a point, some even claimed she got the nickname “Sweet Kiss of Death”…

Images from web – Google Research