The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-01-28

! Record. His Speed In
| creases with Age. His
Mark 1.55. Half Brother
of Dan P. who Won over
Alfonso On the Benefits
vile Track.
AS Dan p" is a half brot her
of Dan Patch" who holds the
worlds pacing record, the fol
lowing from the Pee Dee Advo-
cate will be interesting to many
patrons of the turf in this section
who have had the pleasure recent
ly of seeing Dan p" show some
of his speed on the Bennettsville
track:
Dear Sis During the past
few months l have noticed the va
rious comments printed about Da''
Patch and his 1908 performances.
Some of these have been written
in all fairness to the fastest horse
that has ever lived, and has been
based OH facts. Others seem to
have been written on pressure of
prejudice or based on absolute
ignorance.
We have many truly great and
fast horses in this country and
new ones will develope from time
to time. AS a horse breeder
would not continue in the busi-
ness. do not wish to appear as
trying to detract from the great
ness of any horse, but simply to
state facts about Dan Patch.
! Early in the summer I stated
that Dan Patch was faster than
ever and that although he was
twelve years old he would pace the
fastest mile in his life. Dams
first mile last year was the last
week of August. when he paced a
mile in 200 with every eighth in
fifteen seconds. AT that time
told Herscy that his first mile
proved my statement and that it
was the easiest and best mile
ever saw Dan pace, and l saw his
miles in I:55A and in 1:S5 Dan S
second performance was mile in
1:5SA, finished where the tre-
mendous crowd had taken posses
sion of the track, with lust enough
room for Den to pass between the
crowding people. His third mile
was in 1853, and his fourth mile
was in 1914. On October 11th,
at Livingston, Dan paced the first
quarter in twenty-nine seconds,
and the secoLd n twenty-s seven
and one-haf seconds, a 1:5O clip.
He was at the half in 56H seconds
1:55 clip, and at the three quar-
ter in 1:25H. At the seven
eights the pace-maker, driven by
Scot Hudson, broke blood ves-
sci and slackened down enough
to shorten Dan S tremendous stride
of twenty-five feet and yet Dan
Patch finished that mile in 1:56H
which all fairminded men must
acknowledge was by far the fast
est and greatest mile in the life of
the fastest harness horse in the
world. Hersey states that when
this happened Dan ras going easy
and was not firing and that, bar
ring the accident o the pace
maker, Dan would have surely
beaten 1:5S. In no year has Dan
ever started out with a mile in
200 and then reduced j t every
Iper Or m ance. His last mile
is absolute proof that Dan Patch
in his twelveth year was faster
than ever, which is doubly re-
markable from the fact that Dan
has been performing these world
famous miles for six years.
| From some of the comments l
have seen printed the readers
would be led to believe thai it was
a very ordinary event for horse
to pace faster miles a twelve
years of age than any other PAGER
approached at any age. am
sure that the facts carry me out
in my statement that Dams per-
formances in 1908 were the most
remarkable in his entire life and
indisputable proof that he was
faster than ever. Is it not an ..s-