Dan Patch

Creator: Kate Roberts

Contributor: Minnesota Historical Society Press

Source: Minnesota 150 (F606 .R63 2007)

Dan Patch driven by M.E. McHenry, his first trainer, in Dan Patch's younger days, c.1900.

Sired by a champion pacer and born in 1896, Dan Patch was bred to be a racehorse. At first glance, though, his chances didn't look too good. He had long legs, knobby knees, and worst of all, a sweet disposition—not considered an asset in the hypercompetitive world of harness racing. "I thought all he would be good for would be hauling a delivery wagon," said his first owner.

Luckily, a stable owner took an interest in the little charmer and began training him for a life on the track. After four years he was ready—and once he started running, he never looked back. Dan Patch was a pacer, a horse that pulls his driver in a wagon in harness races. He lost only two heats in his career and never lost a final race. So fast that other owners eventually refused to race their horses against him, Dan Patch spent most of his career running against the clock.

By December 1902, when Minneapolis businessman Marion Savage bought him for $60,000 (about $1.2 million today), Dan Patch was famous in horse-racing circles. Savage's friends questioned his extravagance, but Savage had a plan for recouping his investment. Savage's company, International Stock Food, was a large operation that sold feeds and tonics to Midwestern farmers and ranchers. Dan Patch was soon featured in the company's advertisements, and within a year Savage's sales had risen from $1 million to $5 million.

Decades before images of sports figures began appearing on cereal boxes and in TV commercials, Dan Patch began "endorsing" everything from cigars to cars to washing machines. Under Savage's watchful eye, he was transformed from a racetrack wonder into a household name. Adding to his reputation was his continued high level of performance at exhibitions. On Saturday, September 8, 1906, Dan Patch made horse-racing history when he set a new world record by pacing a mile in one minute and fifty-five seconds. Savage changed the name of his farm in Savage, Minnesota, to the International 1:55 Stock Food Farm, and his horse's record stood until 1938. Dan Patch died on July 11, 1916. Marion Savage died just thirty hours later.

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Roberts, Kate. "Dan Patch." MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/thing/dan-patch

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First Published: July 25, 2011

Last Modified: April 14, 2025

Bibliography

El-Hai, Jack. "The King of Sport." Minnesota Monthly (July 2003): 40–43.

Martin, D.R. "The Most Wonderful Horse in the World." American Heritage 41, no. 5 (July/August 1990): 98–105.

Related Resources

Primary

"Dan Patch Breaks His Own World's Record." St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 9, 1906.

International 1:55 Horse Farm. Colts and Race Prospects Bred at the Home of Four World Champion Stallions: 1914 Sale Catalogue. Minneapolis: The Farm, [1914].

O'Loughlin, "Dan Patch Paces Fastest Mile in History of Turf." Minneapolis Journal, September 9, 1906.

Savage, M.W. International Stock Food Farm Owned by M.W. Savage. Minneapolis: M.W. Savage, 1905.

M1 .M6 no. 70
Minnesota Sheet Music Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Trautvetter, H.G. Dan Patch Two-Step. Minneapolis: International Stock Food Co., [19--].

M1 .M6 no. 470
Minnesota Sheet Music Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Willis, Carl. Dan Patch March. Minneapolis: Dan Patch Music Co., [between 1902 and 1916].

Secondary

Ackerman, Willis. Dan Patch, Mass Merchandiser: A Synopsis of the Business Empire That Made "Dan Patch" A Household Word. [Osseo, MN: s.n.], 1981.

Akers, Dwight. Drivers Up: The Story of American Harness Racing. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1938.

Barton, George A. "Dan Patch Sets a World Record." In My Lifetime in Sports, 320–325. Minneapolis: The Olympic Press, 1957.

Brady, Tim. The Great Dan Patch and the Remarkable Mr. Savage. Minneapolis: Nodin Press, 2006.

Harrison, Merton E. Autobiography of Dan Patch: The World's Champion Harness Race Horse. St. Paul: Webb Pub. Co., 1912.

Irving, Robert M., and Kenneth Carley. "Horse Racing on Ice Was Popular in the Twin Cities." Minnesota History 41, no. 8 (Winter 1969): 372–384.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/41/v41i08p372-384.pdf

Leerhsen, Charles. Crazy Good: The True Story of Dan Patch, the Most Famous Horse in America. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008.

The Legend of Dan Patch: A True Story Then and Now. [United States]: Hugh T. Cardenas, 1988. Videocassette.

Morosco, Beatrice. "Dan Patch." Hennepin County History 34, no. 4 (Fall 1975): 20–22.

The Racing Life of Dan Patch: 1:55. [Minneapolis: s.n., 1914].

Roberts, Kate. Minnesota 150: The People, Places, and Things that Shape Our State. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2007.

Sassé, Fred. A. The Dan Patch Story. Harrisburg, PA: The Stackpole Company, 1957.

Web

The Dan Patch Historical Society.
http://www.danpatch.com

Related Audio

MN90: The Greatest Minnesota Athlete to Run on Four Legs | Details

MN90: The Greatest Minnesota Athlete to Run on Four Legs

One of Minnesota's greatest athletes was Dan Patch, a harness horse from the turn of the 20th century who set the world record by pacing a mile in 1:55. When salesman Marion Savage (the town Savage is named after him) bought Dan Patch, he became very rich by turning his horse into a supreme pitchman for all kinds of products, including cars, watches and washing machines. MN90 producer Marisa Helms has the story.

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Dan Patch with his private car (from train)

Dan Patch racing at the Minnesota State Fair

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Dan Patch badge commemorating his world record mile time, c.1905.

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Dan Patch loving cup from Kentucky

Sterling silver trophy won by Dan Patch in Kentucky, 1905.

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Dan Patch with driver Harry Hersey

Dan Patch with driver Harry Hersey, 1906.

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Covered race track of Dan Patch

Covered race track of Dan Patch and home of International Stock Foods, Savage, 1915. Photographer: Charles P. Gibson.

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Dan Patch money clip

Dan Patch money clip.

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Turning Point

In 1906, Dan Patch makes horse-racing history when he sets a new world record by pacing a mile in one minute and fifty-five seconds.

Chronology

1896

Dan Patch is born, bred to be a racehorse.

1902

Dan Patch is famous in horse-racing circles, and Minneapolis businessman Marion Savage buys him for $60,000 (about $1.2 million today).

1906

On September 8, Dan Patch sets a new world record by pacing a mile in one minute and fifty-five seconds. His record stands until 1938.

1916

Dan Patch dies on July 11, just thirty hours before his owner, Marion Savage.