Pete Monaco

The Eighth Pole

It wasn’t just another day for 35-year-old Frank Hayes on June 4, 1923.

After training horses for several years, Hayes was attempting to ride in only his second race. The lightly experienced jockey was probably quite nervous and intimidated — especially since his second voyage would take place at historic Belmont Park. His horse, Sweet Kiss, had never raced there before.

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To add to the chaos of the two-mile steeplechase event, Hayes needed to drop some serious weight in a hurry, trimming down from 142 pounds to 130 to make weight for his ride.

As history tells it, Sweet Kiss and Hayes secured a good spot early in their journey to the finish line and raced with the frontrunners for most of the event. As they swung around the far turn the final time, Hayes seemed relaxed on his mount but Sweet Kiss swerved out noticeably before the last of a dozen jumps.

It was reported that some people thought Hayes was showboating as he rode with only one hand and slumped over his mount as they crossed the wire for the win.

The margin of victory is questionable, as some records show the horse won by a head and others show 1 1/2 lengths but the horse did finish first. The connections and track officials came to greet Hayes and Sweet Kiss and, as they approached the winning duo, the jockey slid off the back of the horse and into the dirt. Hayes had apparently died sometime during the running of the race, most probably of a heart attack, yet his body remained in the saddle throughout a series of jumps and a close finish.

After the discovery of Hayes’ death, track officials were reportedly perplexed about how to rule on the order of finish and they only had a few minutes to make a decision.

All post-race formalities were waived and the race was declared official without the customary weigh-in. Sweet Kiss and Hayes had won their first race together but, unfortunately, only one of the pair made it to the winner's circle.

Three days later, Hayes was buried in his colorful racing silks. Some speculate his death was caused by the rapid loss of weight or the sheer excitement of having the lead in his first race at Belmont. To this day, Frank Hayes is the only jockey to have ever won a race while deceased.

As for Sweet Kiss, the horse never raced again — mostly because no jockey wanted to experience the same fate as Hayes and the poor horse was forever known as "The Sweet Kiss of Death."

You just can't make this stuff up!

Collected beats Arrogate at Del Mar

Collected held off a late-charging Arrogate to win the $1 million Pacific Classic on Saturday at Del Mar, handing the superstar the third loss of his career.

Collected came out of the gate sharply for the 1 ¼-mile event and assumed early command. A length or two back, Accelerate chased the leader and Arrogate stalked them both in third.

At the far turn, Collected and Accelerate kicked away and, for a moment, it looked as if Arrogate might be off the board again. But as they straightened out in the stretch, Arrogate got in gear and took aim at Collected as Accelerate retreated. Collected and Martin Garcia dug in gamely along the rail, repelling the bold challenge of Arrogate to prevail by a determined but diminishing half-length.

It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to Accelerate, who tired in the lane but finished a clear third over Curlin Road. Collected notched his first Grade I win and is now undefeated in four starts this year with earnings totaling $1.2 million. Collected paid $8 to win. He was the fresh horse in the race and he ran like one. We could see Collected in a prep race before The Breeders' Cup in November.

As for Arrogate, he probably created more questions than he answered. He basically ran his race and came up short. I do acknowledge his distaste for the Del Mar oval and the taxing trip to Dubai but his massive, effortless and confident stride has been absent in his last two outings.

Jockey Mike Smith always seems to be pushing this horse now, working him hard to make up any sort of ground. To me, he just doesn't look like the same horse.

But, I expect he will improve off this race and be a handful in The Breeders' Cup. Is Arrogate still the best horse in the world? If horses could talk, the ones that beat him would say, "No."

Want to talk horse racing? Email Pete at eighthpolepete@yahoo.com.