iStockphoto
Horse racing doesn’t exactly have an immaculate reputation thanks to many people who’ve skirted the rules to try to win a race, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more creative approach to cheating than one that was harnessed by a jockey named Sylvester Carmouche in 1990.
There are plenty of ways to bend (and outright break) the rules in horse racing, but the vast majority of those illegal strategies—whether we’re talking about doping, fixing, or covertly swapping in a ringer—are long cons that require plenty of scheming off of the track as opposed to onto it.
With that said, there are also some transgressions that can transpire once the horses leave the starting gate thanks to the jockeys tasked with riding them. However, the code of conduct they’re expected to abide by is pretty obvious, as common sense dictates you’re not allowed to hide an electronic prod up your sleeve or use your elbow to knock a rival rider off of their steed.
Figuring out a way to use inclement weather to your advantage, on the other hand, requires a bit more gamesmanship, but one man was able to do exactly that and ended up serving some time in jail after the ruse fell apart.
How horse jockey Sylvester Carmouche took advantage of a thick fog to “win” a race
iStockphoto
On January 11th, 1990, Sylvester Carmouche and his horse Landing Officer headed to Delta Downs racetrack in Vinton, Louisiana for a one-mile race with eight other competitors.
However, the day’s festivities were marred by the thick fog made possible by the nearby Gulf of Mexico—a meteorological event that was dense to the point where it was virtually impossible for spectators or race officials to see what was transpiring on the track.
There was someone posted up close enough to the finish line to keep track of the results of the races—including the one that seemingly ended with Carmouche and Landing Officer winning by 24 lengths on a muddy track while coming within 1.5 seconds of the all-time record at Delta Downs.
As The Los Angeles Times reported at the time, that decisive and near-record victory quickly aroused the suspicion of race officials who quickly noted Landing Officer didn’t seem to be exhibiting the telltale signs of a horse that had just run a mile at such a brisk pace.
They soon came to the conclusion that Carmouche hadn’t actually left the starting line when the gun went off and simply hid in the fog until he heard the rest of the pack nearing the home stretch before instructing Landing Officer to get a move-on (a theory supported by a couple of jockeys who were in the lead when they spotted what they assumed was a rogue horse ahead of them).
The Louisiana State Police launched an investigation into the matter, and a little over a week later, Carmouche was arrested and charged with felony theft by fraud and suspended for the remainder of the racing season by the State Racing Commission.
It took more than a year for the case to make its way through the system, but Carmouche was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in jail (he ultimately had the stint reduced to 10 after paying a $250 fine. As his own attorney noted, the win only would’ve made him an additional $90 on top of the $50 he was paid to simply take part in the race.
He was also suspended from serving as a jockey for 10 years but attempted to make a comeback in 1998 at the age of 38 after having the ban lifted after eight-and-a-half years.