dan patch
Probably one of the most famous horses of all time, Dan Patch was foaled in Oxford, Indiana on the farm of Dan A. Messner in 1896. His sire was Joe Patchen, his dam, Zelica. As a racehorse, Dan Patch was undefeated in his three regular seasons, losing only two heats. He entered the 2:00 list in 1902 with 1:59 1/2. In 1903 he paced to bike sulky in 1:56 and to wagon in 1:57 1/4. Dan Patch was the world champion pacing horse from 1903 until 1938. He was sold to M. W. Savage, of Minneapolis, Minnesota and in 1905, driven by Harry Hersey at Lexington, Kentucky in a time trial, he paced in 1:55 1/4. After this mile he was not raced, but traveled miles on exhibition throughout the country. He was heavily commercialized, his name appearing on everything from stop watches to washing machines to published sheet music. Dan Patch died in 1916 at the Savage Farm. Savage died the following day.
Unmarked - International 1:55 Stock Food Farm, Savage, MN (now abandoned)
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1994 book, The Immortals