The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-10-21
DAN PATCH FAILS
To BREAK RECORD
Paced Mile in 1;59 IA at Fair
Grounds Track Yesterday
THE CROWD EN- THUSIASTlC
Horsemen Consider That the Great
PAGER Did Great Work Under the
Conditions That Existed
Yesterday.

Dan Patch, 1865. the worlds champion
PAGER. failed yesterday afternoon to break
his record at the fair grounds track
However, with many conditions against
him he succeeded In pacing mile in
1:59I4, faster time by several seconds
than was ever witnessed in Birmingham,
except when Dan Patch broke the worlds
record on a half-mile track at tho other
race track here
The track yesterday was not lightning
fast. Moreover, there was a stiff wind
against Dan Patch going up the back
stretch. and last but by no means least
the horse was not in his greatest racing
form. He had been trained to the pink of
condition to race earlier in the week and
yesterday he was not as good as he might
nave been.
All three of these circumstances, small
as each one might have been, were
enough to cause the famous stallion to
miss his record by 4l4 seconds. Dan
Patch started about o'clock on mis- race
against time, after the track had been
cleared of everything and the scraper
had been run over 1t to putt in the finest
condition possible.
Big Crowd.
The grand stand was packed with peo-
pie. Practically every box was filled and
the people were hanging on the fence Tor
the entire length of the home stretch.
Over 1900 people had been waiting Tor an
hour or more for the trail and they were
worked up to the highest pitch OF excite
ment. During the speeding when the
drivers were warming Dan Patch up the
crowds watched him with the liveliest in
terest and every time he appeared on
the track murmur would run through
the crowd, There he isr'
Harry Jersey was driving Dan Patch
and Charles Dear and r. E. Nash drove
the two running horses that set the pace,
one of them being Sallie Kicker and the
ether Cobwebs. Dan Patch scored at
about a two minute pace, and maintained
that to the first quarter, which was
covered in 80 seconds fiat. In the back
stretch Dan Patch clipped three-fourths
of a second from the time of the first
quarter going to the half mile post In
59l4 which made his time on the second
quarter 294. The time at the three
quarters pole was 1923, the third quarter
having been covered in 29sA, quarter
of second faster than the first quarter,
and half a second slower than the second.
Home Stretch.
The pacer passed under the wire in
.59L4. making the third quarter in S0M,
the sowest time of any one OF the quar-
ters. When the horse rounded into the
home stretch the crowd stood on us
feet and watched every move he mace,
cheering him all the while. When the
time of the race was announced the
crowd cheered and applauded.
great many people confidently ex-
pected that they would witness the break
ing of a worlds record and while they
were disappointed in that respect, they
had the pleasure and the excitement OF
seeing a harness horse cover a mile IN
faster time than a vast majority OF them
had ever seen one cover that distance be-
fore.
Horsemen familiar with all the condi-
tions did not think that Dan Patch would
go the mile better than minutes nat
and they were surprised when the time
was announced They understood that the
track was "cuppy;" that there was
wind against the horse In the BACK
stretch, and they knew that these TWO
conditions alone would increase his time
from to seconds.
Driver Hersey Talks.
After the race Driver Hersey said that
he was not surprised at the failure 10
lower a record.
"-rhe track was not In lightning fast
condition in other words, 1t could nave
been several seconds faster" he said. 1t
was what we call cuppy,' or 1t was
little soft and the horses toes sink from
an eighth to quarter of an men, or
NAV be more, in the track. This tires
the horse greatly and prevents him from
speeding at his best.
orrbere was a pretty stiff wind up the
hack stretch. One walking a long would
not notice it much, but going at two
minnie clip it can be felt considerably.
OF course that pulled Dan Patch back
little and tended to tire him homewhat.
"Then the horse was not In the best OF
condition / do not mean he was SICK
or that there was anything the matter
with him. but he has been in better rae
ing trim. l trained him to race earlier
in the week, and couple or days delay
In his trial makes good deal OF DIFF
ference TO a horse especially to Dan
Patch. / have not had really good
chance to work him for seven or eight
DAYS. The weather was bad or the track
was not in good shape, and he was not
up to his topmost speed today. 1 am
sorry he failed, but he did his best He
never sulks.''
OUT OF DANGER,