On 4 June 1923, 22-year-old Irish jockey Frank Hayes won his first race – the steeplechase at New York’s Belmont Park.
Sadly, it also proved to be his last race, as Frank suffered a fatal heart attack towards the end of it.
Despite his sudden death, Frank’s body remained in the saddle while his horse, a 20-to-1 underdog named Sweet Kiss, jumped the final fence and crossed the finish line, winning by a head.
This earned Frank the rather unfortunate distinction of being the world’s first deceased jockey to win a race.
Frank’s body reportedly fell out of the saddle 100 yards beyond the finish line, near the judges’ stand.
Track physician Dr John A. Voorhees quickly examined Frank and pronounced him dead, although he did not commit himself immediately to a cause of death.
All post-race formalities were cancelled, and the result was declared official without the usual weighing of the jockeys.
Reports conflicted regarding the exact cause of Frank’s heart failure, with some attributing it to the excitement of the race, however, the prevailing theory put it down to the weight loss Frank underwent prior to the race.
Frank mostly worked as a horse trainer and stableman, but he’d always wanted to be a jockey. His employer, James K. Frayling, was not against the idea, but told Frank he needed to cut down his weight.
“Hayes went at the task with the devotion of a fanatic,” wrote the Lewiston Sun-Journal. “His meals scarcely would have sufficed for an anchorite.”
Additionally, he began an intensive exercise regimen which involved weightlifting, jogging around the track, and other “contortions warranted to take off flesh”.
It was also reported that shortly before Frank’s fatal race, he shed over 10 lb to reduce his weight to 130 lb (59 kg).
Frank was buried on 7 June at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn. He was dressed in his colourful racing silks, as were six of his best friends who attended the funeral.
As for Sweet Kiss, she never raced again, and it’s claimed that she was nicknamed “Sweet Kiss of Death” thereafter.
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