Frank Hayes (1901 – June 4, 1923) was a jockey who, on June 4, 1923, at Belmont Park racetrack in

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

, won a steeplechase despite suffering a fatal heart attack in the latter part of the race.

Death

The twenty-two-year-old Hayes had never won a race before, as by profession he was not a jockey but a horse trainer and stableman. The horse, a 20:1 outsider called Sweet Kiss, was owned by Miss A. M. Frayling. Hayes died in the latter part of the race and his body remained in the saddle when Sweet Kiss crossed the finish line, winning by a head, making him the first, and so far only, jockey known to have won a race after death.

Aftermath

Hayes' death was not discovered until Miss Frayling and race officials came to congratulate him shortly after the race. It was suggested that the fatal heart attack may have been brought on by Hayes' extreme efforts to meet the weight requirements, as a newspaper reported he had slimmed down from 142 pounds to 130 pounds in a very short time. After the discovery of Hayes' death, all further post-race formalities were waived by the Jockey Club, the result being declared official without the weighing in. Hayes was buried three days later, dressed in his

racing silks A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual w ...

at Holy Cross Cemetery in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. The horse never raced again, and it's claimed that Sweet Kiss was nicknamed "Sweet Kiss of Death" for the rest of her life.

References

American jockeys 1901 births 1923 deaths Jockeys who died while racing Sports deaths in New York (state) Place of birth missing Date of death missing Place of death missing {{US-horseracing-bio-stub