The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-09-02
DAN PATCH PAGES IN l:59
The Son of Joe Patchen Lowers Star
Pointers Mark. !.
famous Horse Establishes a New II orc
Under Adverse Weather Conditions
at the Brighton Beach Track.

New York City.-A new worlds har.
ness record of 1.59 was established att
the Brighton Beach race track when In
race against time Dan Patch, the
fastest harness horse in the world.
and the unbeaten pacing champion, as-'
tonished patrons of the turf by over
coming a combination of unfavorabie
conditions and covering mile in time
a quarter of a second faster than the
; distance evet was covered by harness
horse before.
The race established an official rec
ord and earned for the owner of. the
horse prize of $500 offered by the
New York Trotting Association should
Dan Patch beat the old best pacing
mark of 1.59A. which officially was
held by Star Pointer alone, though Dan
Patch himself last year paced mile
in time just equalling Star Pointers
| mark, that performance of the new
| king of the PAGERS not being recognized&
as q record. however, because OF
technical failure to comply with the
| trOtting rules. y
Two runners were sent with Dam
Patch, one to precede him and break
the force of the wind and the other as
| a prompter At the second scores
Driver McHenry nodded for the word.
| but there was really little interest at
this time, for few believed Dan Patch
would even excel his former PERFORM
ance.
When the quarter-mile pole was
reached and hundreds saw that the clip
| had been faster than o.: twO-ainute
| gait there was general awakening OF
interest. The timers hung out O.291sr
and by the time it was displayed many
| watches had clicked at the half and the
figure -O.5SA appeared on the timing
stand. Then everybody realized that
| record breaking performance was to-
come. for if the horse came home, Id an
even minute, the record was beaten
away off. and lie really had a ieeway
/ Of one.half second more to equal the
mark. At the three-Quarters 1.2954
marked the time. and that left him
only thirty seconds. for he had fallen
away trife around the second turn
Then it was for the first time that
McHenry gathered the horse together
for final and decisive struggle. u Thf
runner in advance began to tire, az
the spectators. wild with excitem
began to shout to him to get out OF
way. Without falter the KIM
PAGERS swept under the wire wian(
the highest honors that have yet
to a harness horse. The official
announced was 1.59, but the mum
watches on the grounds that REQ
1t faster was too great to be ca
In this connection it may be ga -
no spectator has the opportui
time correctly to fraction OF
ond, as the official timers haveS
the latters' decision is usually the
rect one. In this case all the watchd
held by official hands recorded the
same. 8 3 ~
Dan Patch has never before. under
| the most favorable conditions OF
weather and track, been able to pace
rs fast mile and he has been driven;
in many attempts. Yet under condis'
lions that were decidedly adverse but
with q runner and suiky in advance to-
shelter him, he eclipsed all his forme-
efforts at the first attempt
| Dan Patch. who now is seven yearS
old. Is by Joe Patchen-Z -Zelica. by
Wilkesberry. and is the property Of W.:
NJ. Savage. of Minneapolis, MINI,
who bought him last fall for snfn
reported to have been $65, 600. In all
his career on the turf Dan Patch has
never been defeated, and his record inl
races shows but one heat that he lost,
that having been at Brighton Beach
two years ago. The record that he
broke was made in 1898 at the Reed
vile (Mass.) track by Star Pointer.