Jarryd Hayne has secured his dream of becoming an American football player. He was not the first Australian who tried his luck in the US of A. There is a weird, not to say disturbing, coincidence between those others and Jarrad Hayne.
Les Darcy was the Australian middleweight and heavyweight boxing champion,aged 22 years, when in 1917 he went to America seeking bouts with the worlds best fighters. 1917 was the climax year of the first world war. In Australia, Darcy was ostracised for not enlisting in the Army to fight in that war. Darcy`s parents were Irish Catholics. In 1916 The Irish Easter revolt occurred in Dublin. There was a good deal of anti- Catholic sentiment in Australia following that revolt. Les Darcy was a focus for that anti-Catholic wrath from the establishment class. Among the Australian people ,however, Les Darcy was a genuine folk- hero. When he reached America, Darcy and his management were confronted by a major set back to their plans. The governors of the States where Darcy wanted to fight refused to issue licences permitting him to fight. It was clear that pressure was applied to the State Governors by the American Government acting on request from the Australian Government.
US fight promoters lost interest in Darcy because he was unable to fight. On the 5th April 1917 Les Darcy took out US citizenship. Two weeks later he enlisted in the US Army. Before being called up, a fight had been arranged and the Army gave him time off to train for the fight. He undertook some dental procedure which became infected and on the 27th April he collapsed with septicaemia--blood poisoning. He developed pneumonia and died 24 May 1917.
Les Darcy had 56 fights losing 4--none by knockouts. An immense funeral procession was given by San Francisco to Les Darcy who never fought in California or San Francisco. A measure of the interest this Australian folk -hero aroused in the American public and the generosity of the people of San Francisco. A similar funeral procession was held in Sydney and he was taken back to Maitland, where he was born, and he was buried in the Catholic cemetery.
There was some suggestion that foul-play played some part in Les Darcy death. Nothing has ever been substantiated, but then again the suggestion has never entirely gone away.
Phar Lap was the greatest race horse in Australian racing history. In a four year racing career he won 37 of 51 races including the 1930 Melbourne Cup with a weight of 9 stone 12 pounds. Phar Lap won 32 of 38 races from the 1931 VRC St Ledger to his final race in 1932. Born in 1926, in Timarou, South Island of New Zealand. He was purchased by Australian trainer Harry Telfod and leased to American David Davis. Phar Lap won what he could in Australia but was being weighted out of any handicap race without any reasonable chance of winning. David Davis took Phar Lap to America to race in 1932 with a promise of a reasonable handicaps. Phar Lap was an Australian folk- hero who dominated Australian racing. He gave solace to the Australian population during the Great Depression. His reputation reached around the world.
Phar Lap was taken to Mexico by ship after a six week stay in New Zealand. He was entered in the Agua Caliente Handicap in Tijuana, Mexico. This was the richest race in the Americas to be run 20th March 1932. Phar Lap`s last race before then was in the November 1931, Melboure Cup. Tijuana was just south of the US border, such that all the 'usual suspects' from America attended the race--movie stars, politicians, businessmen, hangers- on, gangsters and all the needy and the greedy. Phar Lap was hardly ready for the race. He had never raced on a dirt track. He had not raced since November 1931. He was coming back from a two mile to a mile and a quarter race. He was against the best horses in America. He carried a weight of 9 stone , 3 pounds. He suffered a hoof problem that prevented him from training, so he was walked instead. About a week before the race he was given his first track gallop and was not impressive in any way. Several days later he given another track gallop. This time he flew!! In the race, he was behind early . His his jockey then let him go, and he made an amazing run to go around all the other horses and led into the straight. He came away and won the race by two and a half lengths in track record time. He was a sensation in America.
From Mexico, Phar Lap was sent to a private ranch near Menlo Park, California. Early on 5 April 1932 his trainer, Tommy Woodcock, , found him in severe pain and with a high temperature. Within a few hours, Phar Lap was dead having bled to death. An autopsy revealed much inflammation to the horse`s stomach and intestines. This led to claims that he was poisoned. Many believed it was gangsters who poisoned Phar Lap. Modern tests done on his mane in the last few years have established that Phar Lap ingested (was given) a large amount of arsenic 30 to 40 hours before his death. Who gave him that poison is not known but this result has again raised the possibility that gangsters, now called the Mafia, poisoned Phar Lap. It is even suggested that Phar Lap was sold to Al Capone who thought that his illegal betting industry was under threat by Phar Lap`s success.
Our two genuine folk -heroes, Les Darcy and Phar Lap tried their luck in America, 25 years apart. Both died in America before their time. Both had an eerie association with foul-play and San Francisco.
Replies
Rob did you write this? mate this is your best to date, and i must say i think you might be onto something.
Ive no doubt the media will pick up on this blog and do one similar.
Maybe Jarryd might be poisoned in SF and never make it back to Australia god forbid.
Maybe he might be kidnapped by raiders fans or a Mexican cartel?
Your ahead of your time Rob, ive always claimed that.
Snake : Of course I wrote it. But you are drawing a long bow about it.The media should not be interested in it at all. I had completed Part Two and was to send it off when my computer went toxic again and deleted all of it. I will have to write it again from memory, if I can!!! It will take time. All assumtions and conclusions should wait to then.
Real interesting read that. Watch you back Hayne. Sleep with one eye open or come back before its to late.
LOL so what you're saying is JH might wake up one morning with a severed horse's head in bed with him?
Ye hopefully its Ray Hadleys.