heart attack kid
attrib.— «He won the Santa Anita Derby in 1958. No—he swamped The Derby in 1958. He came from 30 lengths out of it to an unbelievable victory. Of course, he won other contests zooming up from as much as 40 lengths off the pace. Between gasps, fans called him “The Showboat” and “The Heart Attack Kid.”» —“’…And Here Comes Silky Sullivan!'” in advertisement Los Angeles Times Mar. 25, 1975. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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