WEBVTT - The Ghost of Delta Downs

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<v Speaker 1>It's the year nineteen ninety in the small town of Vinton, Louisiana,

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<v Speaker 1>where a horse race is about to get started. A

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<v Speaker 1>thick fog has settled on Delta Down's race course. Visibility

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<v Speaker 1>for this one mile race is almost zero. Nine competitors

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<v Speaker 1>head to the stalls and wait. It seems like winning

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<v Speaker 1>is going to be a close your eyes and hope situation,

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<v Speaker 1>but jockey Sylvester car Mush has a sneaky plan to

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<v Speaker 1>take them all by surprise. Hey, welcome to the poolroom

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<v Speaker 1>where we celebrate the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Tony Armstrong. Sylvester Carrmusch was an experienced jockey, celebrated

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<v Speaker 1>even throughout his career. He finished more than thirteen hundred races.

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<v Speaker 1>But one day in January nineteen ninety, he saw an

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<v Speaker 1>opportunity that he just couldn't resist. Well, I say, sow,

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<v Speaker 1>but no one could see much of anything, and that

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<v Speaker 1>was the point. On this particular winter's day, a blanket

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<v Speaker 1>of fog had settled on the race course. Sylvester knew

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<v Speaker 1>he was basically hidden from view. He couldn't see the

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<v Speaker 1>guy next to him, and that guy couldn't see him either.

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<v Speaker 1>A daring thought cross Sylvester's mind, What if maybe he

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<v Speaker 1>and his horse, a five year old stallion named Landing Officer,

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<v Speaker 1>took a little shortcut like to the end of the track.

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<v Speaker 1>As the gate song opened, eight horses shot out. Landing

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<v Speaker 1>Officer wasn't one of them. Sylvester had walked his horse

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<v Speaker 1>to the finish line, hiding them both in the dense fog.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a short race. A mile doesn't leave a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of room for pulling off a great heist. Sylvester

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<v Speaker 1>gripped the reins and listened closely. The other horses took

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<v Speaker 1>the first corner, then the second. The crowd caught brief

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<v Speaker 1>glimpses as the horses faded in and out of the fog. Finally,

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<v Speaker 1>our sneaky jockey herd galloping footsteps nearby. It was time

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<v Speaker 1>to make his move. Sylvester took off. Landing Officer picked up.

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<v Speaker 1>The other horses were close, but the finish line was closer.

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<v Speaker 1>Sylvester crossed the finish with a huge lead of twenty

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<v Speaker 1>four lengths or about sixty meters, only one point two

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<v Speaker 1>second short of the track record. Now I'm no jockey,

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<v Speaker 1>but I wonder if the scam might have gone down

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<v Speaker 1>more easily if Sylvester had won by say, five lengths,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe not so close to the record anyway. Officials reported

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<v Speaker 1>at the time that there was something odd about Landing Officer.

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<v Speaker 1>It didn't seem like the horse had run a whole mile,

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<v Speaker 1>especially not at that speed. It wasn't breathless or anything

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<v Speaker 1>you might say. Landing Officers seemed like he'd simply walked

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<v Speaker 1>to the finish line. One of the other jockeys quickly objected.

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<v Speaker 1>He claimed he'd been leading the race when a horse

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<v Speaker 1>appeared from nowhere, then disappeared into the fog. When they

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<v Speaker 1>reviewed the footage, the stewards only saw eight horses come

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<v Speaker 1>by the first time, then nine at the finish. Sylvester

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<v Speaker 1>swore they were wrong. He said he'd led from the

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<v Speaker 1>beginning yet nah. After deliberating for a few minutes, Landing

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<v Speaker 1>Officer was disqualified. Sylvester was immediately suspended from the track

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<v Speaker 1>for the rest of the season. After a court hearing,

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<v Speaker 1>he was given a ten year suspension from racing. Ultimately,

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<v Speaker 1>he only served eight years, but the police charged him

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<v Speaker 1>with a felony theft by fraud. Sylvester was sentenced to

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<v Speaker 1>thirty days in jail. After paying a small fine, he

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<v Speaker 1>only spent ten days behind bars. By the time he

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<v Speaker 1>retired from racing, Sylvester Carmush had been a prolific jockey,

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<v Speaker 1>so much so that he inspired a new generation. His son,

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<v Speaker 1>Kendrick Carmusch, is a multi graded stakes winning jockey who

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<v Speaker 1>started more than twenty three thousand races, including the Kentucky Derby.

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<v Speaker 1>But Sylvester will always be infamous for that day in

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<v Speaker 1>the fog, coming from nowhere to claim glory for fifteen minutes. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that's another episode of the pull Room in the Bag.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope you dug this one. I'm Tony Armstrong. Have

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<v Speaker 1>a good one.