Suspended animation in fiction which is indistinguishable from death. In American fiction, the first story to deal with suspended animation is the tale of Rip Van Winkle, a short story by American author Washington Irving published in 1819 as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. In the story, a British subject in the American colonies wanders into the Catskill Mountains in the years before the American Revolutionary War, and finds a group of fairies, whose moonshine he drinks. He then falls asleep for 20 years, and returns to his village in what is now the United States, finding his home town
Rip Van Winkle (horse) only half a length. He finished seventh, two lengths behind Intense Focus. Despite the Dewhurst defeat, Rip Van Winkle started second favourite for the following season's 2000 Guineas largely due to his being still very unexposed and apparently the stable's first string as Johnny Murtagh had chosen him over Mastercraftsman. This was to be Rip Van Winkle's first clash with the eventual winner Sea the Stars, who went on to dominate the flat season. Rip Van Winkle finished fourth. On Derby day, he was again prominent in the betting but, despite Johnny Murtagh sticking with him and claiming he was