Dan Patch

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Dan Patch was a brown standardbred horse by Joe Patchen out of Zelica, and the outstanding pacer of his day. Foaled in 1896 and dying on July 11, 1916, he was purchased in 1902 by a resident of then Hamilton, Minnesota (renamed Savage, Minnesota) named Marion Willis Savage. The son of Joe Patchen repeatedly broke the record for the fastest mile by a harness horse, finally lowering it to 1:55¼ in a time trial in 1906, the last year in which pacers and trotters were allowed to follow the pacemakers in time trials. This record stood until 1938. The fastest race mile Dan Patch ever achieved was 1:58.

Dan Patch was a sports superstar with extensive endorsements (including washing machines and cigars). Much of his career was spent barnstorming and he retired undefeated in 1909 as the holder of nine world records. Dan Patch Avenue at the Minnesota State Fair grounds is named for him. He was also the subject of the 1949 motion picture, The Great Dan Patch starring Dennis O'Keefe and Gail Russell.

1 Early days
2 Dan Patch, Superstar
3 Cultural References
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Early days

Dan Patch was foaled on April 29, 1896. The barn in which he was born is located in Oxford, Indiana and is still standing today. He was named after his owner Dan Messner and his sire, Joe Patchen. The young horse showed little promise in his first year; however, a local trainer named Johnny Wattles saw something that Dan Messner did not. Johnny received permission from Mr. Messner to train Dan Patch. He did a great job with the horse, training him until he was sold to M.E. Sturgis in 1900.

[edit] Dan Patch, Superstar

Dan Patch was a pacer who broke world records at least 14 times in the early 1900's. He lived in Minnesota from the time when M. W. Savage bought him in 1902 until his death in 1916.

Dan Patch only lost two heats in his whole career and never lost a race. At the top of the poster, you can see the words "NEVER BEATEN" over his name. He was so good that other owners eventually refused to race their horses against him causeing him to spent most of his active career running against the clock.

Dan Patch's official record of 1:55¼ for the pacing mile was set in 1905 in Lexington, Kentucky. His 1:55 unofficial record for the pacing mile (set in 1906 at the Minnesota State Fair, but not officially recognized because of the use of a prompter with a windshield), was tied 32 years later in 1938 when Billy Direct became the official 1:55 world record holder. Savage was so indignant about Dan Patch's 1:55 mark not being recognized (the rules had recently been changed) that he renamed the International Stock Food Farm to the International 1:55 Stock Food Farm. The 1:55 mark was equaled again, but it was not finally broken until 54 years after Dan Patch's run, when in 1960, Adios Butler paced the first sub-1:55 mile in 1:54:3.

The City of Savage, Minnesota was renamed for Dan Patch's owner, Marion Willis Savage, in 1904. Dan Patch Avenue in Falcon Heights, Minnesota (on the State Fairgrounds) is named for the horse, the only road in the entire state that is named for a standardbred horse.

100 years later, the land in Savage where the famous "Taj Mahal" stables and racetracks once stood is still all but vacant. The outline of the racetracks can still reportedly be seen from the air [1]. You can also still see some of the grade of the ½ mile track on the ground, too, if you look for it. The land is ringed with "No Trespassing" signs and there is no historical marker or anything at the site that would indicate that anything of significance once stood there.

[edit] Cultural References

The song Ya Got Trouble, from the Broadway musical and film The Music Man, makes a comically disparaging reference to the horse as a corrupting influence on youngsters when Harold Hill (Robert Preston) states:
Like to see some stuck-up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch?
Make your blood boil?
Well, I should say!