how did dan patch die

Dan Patch was likely seen by more people than any other harness horse in history. Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1994 book. When Dan Patch died, The Trotter & Pacing magazine said the discontent with Dan Patch should be directed at his management, not at the horse. Although often unpopular, facts win that battle every time. (In 1906 he paced a mile in 1:55 flat—Billy Direct’s record-breaking time in 1938—but this feat was not officially recognized.) He paced a mile in 2 minutes or less on 30 occasions, a world record that was not surpassed until the 1960s (by Bret Hanover, with 31). Dan Patch, (foaled 1896), American harness racehorse (Standardbred), a nearly legendary horse in his time, who established in 1905 a world pacing record of 1:55 1/4 that endured for 33 years. Plot summary. The first of those two losses occurred in his second start against what was termed "real competition" at the Lafayettefair. He entered the 2:00 list in 1902 with 1:59 1/2. Dan Patch was trained to be an exhibition horse and race the stopwatch, not other horses. To comment on this story, email us at readerforum@ustrotting.com. He was truly a wonder horse and a celebrity known from coast to coast and even to Canadian horsemen. Marion Savage died just thirty hours later. In the last decade of the 19th century, chemist David Palmer returns to Oxford, Indiana, after living in Chicago for a few years. But Savage didn’t intend to use Dan Patch as a racehorse; his plan was to use Dan Patch as pacing promotion for his stock farm feed business. The foundation sire of this breed was the English Thoroughbred Messenger (1780–1808), imported to the United States in 1788. Savage stood Dan Patch in Minnesota, then as now not exactly a hotbed of harness breeding. But there’s bloody little support for the latter claim to be found in livery stable literature or in word-of-mouth among horsemen. Directum I’s record was not bested for 22 years until Billy Direct paced in 1:55. At the time, harness races consisted of multiple heats – a horse had to win a majority of heats (usually three out of a possible five heats) to be declared the race winner. Make your blood boil? And hobbled pacers were anathema virtually everywhere. Corrections? Savage was unquestionably a master promoter, and his greatest creation was Dan Patch. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He was heavily commercialized, his name appearing on everything from stop watches to washing machines to published sheet music. When Savage, who was from Minnesota, bought Dan Patch for $60,000 in 1902, people were aghast at the price and wondered how a horse could ever earn that price back with the paltry purses of that time. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dan-Patch. Dan Patch went free-legged in his miles. “Dan would shove his nose up against the windscreen and just stick to the leader. Setting the record straight is bound to upset some people, but, as John Adams famously once said, facts are stubborn things. In its July 20, 1916 issue, the magazine carried an ad which said, “A good deal of the aspersion that has been cast upon Dan Patch by reason of the methods by which some of his performances were recorded is undeserved.”. November 27, 2018 Everybody clings to the myth that Dan Patch, who raced through the first decade of the century, was a creature from another planet and that it is sacrilege to mention a mere horse in the same breath.”. As a racehorse, Dan Patch was undefeated in his three regular seasons, losing only two heats. But was Dan Patch the greatest harness horse of all time? There are some common misconceptions about Dan Patch. Many superior horses fail to pass on their genetic greatness. Dan Patch was the world champion pacing horse from 1903 until 1938. During his career, Dan Patch never lost a race and lost only two heats. People in that era loved horses, and Dan Patch was their matinee idol. He surely created many fans of harness racing early in the 20th century and gave thousands of people memories to pass along to children and grandchildren. In a 1960 column titled “Dan Patch, a Myth,” Smith wrote, “The next best thing to a good lie, Joe H. Palmer wrote, is a true story that nobody will believe. In that heat, Dan Patch was last at the beginning of the homestretch and despite closing rapidly, lost by a … In 1903 he paced to bike sulky in 1:56 and to wagon in 1:57 1/4. Copyright ©2020 The United States Trotting Association. Dan Patch died in 1916 at the Savage Farm. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without the expressed, written consent of the U.S. Trotting Association. Dwight Eisenhower recalled going to see a Dan Patch exhibition. We’ll obviously never know. His sire was Joe Patchen, his dam, Zelica. The foregoing facts do not diminish the greatness of Dan Patch. Off Dan Patch made his first start as a four-year-old in 1900. Dan Patch did not become a successful sire. Copyright © 2020 Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame. Probably one of the most famous horses of all time. “Bye Byrd Byrd is the finest living pacer, and quite probably the greatest that ever lived. We should never forget, however, how incredibly popular Dan Patch was because of his travels and exhibitions. Dan Patch did not become a successful sire. Savage didn’t care if the record was recognized or not. Probably one of the most famous horses of all time, Dan Patch was foaled in Oxford, Indiana on the farm of Dan A. Messner in 1896. Unmarked - International 1:55 Stock Food Farm, Savage, MN (now abandoned), Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1994 book, The Immortals. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Never defeated in a race, Dan Patch lost only two of 56 heats (divisions of a harness race) in his three years of competition (1900–02). He splashed it on all his advertising and promotional materials. Dan Patch’s 1:58 mile stood for 11 years as the fastest mile in the Open ranks until Directum I paced in 1:56¾ in a time trial in 1916. John Hervey, the most eminent harness historian of Dan Patch’s era, called the pacer the greatest “entertainer of all light harness horses until finally retired.”. No other horses used this method, and it was soon outlawed. Some races on the flat—such as steeplechase,…. Dan Patch’s story is one of facts vs. legend. adryan Omissions? Hoof Beats Magazine, Share. He was sold to M. W. Savage, of Minneapolis, Minnesota and in 1905, driven by Harry Hersey at Lexington, Kentucky in a time trial, he paced in 1:55 1/4. A famed sports writer who questioned the greatness of Dan Patch is the legendary Red Smith of The New York Times. Many tracks posted their race dates with the caveat that “No Hobbled Pacers” were permitted to participate. His progeny, of great trotting capacity, were bred…, Horse racing, sport of running horses at speed, mainly Thoroughbreds with a rider astride or Standardbreds with the horse pulling a conveyance with a driver. He was sold to M. W. Savage, of Minneapolis, Minnesota and in 1905, driven by Harry Hersey at Lexington, Kentucky in a time trial, he paced in 1:55 1/4. He was far and away the most popular harness horse of the early 20th century, and a performer recognized around the nation. He was the star attraction at many state fairs in his prime.

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