Dan Patch

Dan Patch was a brown standardbred horse sired by Joe Patchen (dam Zelica) and was the outstanding pacer of his day. Foaled in 1896, Dan Patch broke world speed records at least 14 times in the early 1900s, finally setting the world's record for the fastest mile by a harness horse (1m:55s) during a time trial in 1906, a record that stood unmatched for 32 years.

Life

Dan Patch was foaled on 29 April 1896, in a barn in the town of Oxford, Indiana. He was named for his owner, Dan Messner, and his sire, Joe Patchen. The young horse showed little promise in his first year, but a local trainer named Johnny Wattles saw potential in the animal. Wattles received permission from Messner to train Dan Patch and developed the horse's racing abilities until 1900, when Messner sold the horse to Manley E. Sturgis of New York. Sturgis in turn sold Dan Patch in 1902 to a resident of the city of Hamilton (later Savage) in Minnesota named Marion Willis Savage. Dan Patch lived in Minnesota from 1902 until his death on 11 July 1916.

Celebrity

Dan Patch lost only two heats in his whole career, and never lost a race. His speed was such that other owners sometimes refused to race their horses against him, leaving him to run 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 was set in 1906 at the Minnesota State Fair, but not officially recognized because of the use of a prompter with a windshield. This record was tied 32 years later in 1938 when Billy Direct became the official 1:55 world record holder. Marion Savage was so indignant about Dan Patch's 1:55 mark not being recognized (the rules having recently been changed) that he renamed the International Stock Food Farm in Savage to the International 1:55 Stock Food Farm. The 1:55 mark was equaled in following years, but was not broken until 1960, 54 years after Dan Patch's run, when Adios Butler paced the first sub-1:55 mile in 1:54:3. Dan Patch's fastest race mile was 1:58.

Dan Patch's achievements made him a sports celebrity, with extensive product endorsements including toys, cigars, washing machines and automobiles. During his racing years from 1900 through 1909, he was front-page newspaper copy. At the height of his fame, he earned for his owner more than a $1 million a year.

Crowds of 100,000 turned out for a glimpse of the horse, which possessed an unusually gentle temperament yet radiated charisma. Dwight Eisenhower lined up with his parents at the 1904 Kansas State Fair to see him, and Harry Truman recalled that as a boy he had written a fan letter.

Dan Patch retired undefeated in 1909 as the holder of nine world records and spent much of his later life attending exhibitions.

Owner Marion Savage and Dan Patch died within thirty-one hours of each other, in 1916. Savage died just after Dan at age 57 due to a heart attack.

Memorials

The City of Savage, Minnesota was renamed for Dan Patch's owner, Marion Willis Savage, in 1904. Dan Patch Avenue on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds is named for the horse. Dan Patch Drive and Dan Patch Lane in Savage, Minnesota, are also named after Dan Patch.

A century later, the land in Savage once occupied by the "Taj Mahal" stables and racetracks now stands vacant, though the outline of a track is visible from the air. The land is posted "no trespassing" and no historical marker documents that anything of significance ever stood there.

As rumor has it, Dan Patch is buried somewhere on the Taj Mahal property in an unmarked grave. The tombstone in Oxford, IN is just a memorial.

Dan Patch's home town of Oxford continues to honor the horse at its annual Dan Patch Days festival, held in September. Savage, Minnesota also holds a Dan Patch Days to celebrate Dan Patch in June.