Frank Hayes (1888-1923)
Sweet Kiss, Owned by Miss A.M. Frayling
June 4, 1923
Frank Hayes, a stable-hand and trainer by profession, was convinced that the ol' mare could win a race. Maiden steeplechase mare, Sweet Kiss, was not a favorite of her owner, Miss A.M. Frayling. The owner allowed Hayes to have his day and lined Sweet Kiss up for the two mile, 12-jump race at Belmont Park, sporting 20:1 odds.
They ran and she won by a head.
The overjoyed trainer and owner approached to lead Sweet Kiss to the Winner's Circle, and discovered that Hayes was dead, right there, after he dropped out of the saddle, lifeless. He suffered from a heart attack that killed him sometime in the latter part of the race. Since Hayes stayed on her back the entire race, Sweet Kiss was declared the winner, and he is the only jockey to have won a race after death and who had an undefeated record.
Hayes' death by heart attack was theorized to have been brought on by Hayes' extreme efforts to meet the weight requirements, and possibly followed by the fact that he was winning by the New York Times. The spectators thought that Hayes was showboating his win, slumped over and riding with one hand, "relaxed as a dog sleeping in front of a fireplace."
Hayes was buried in his colorful silks three days later. There wasn't a jockey that would ever race Sweet Kiss "of Death" ever again.
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