Dan Patch
Dan Patch, (foaled 1896), American harness racehorse (Standardbred), a nearly legendary horse in his time, who established in 1905 a world pacing record of 1:55 1/4 that endured for 33 years. (In 1906 he paced a mile in 1:55 flat—Billy Direct’s record-breaking time in 1938—but this feat was not officially recognized.) He paced a mile in 2 minutes or less on 30 occasions, a world record that was not surpassed until the 1960s (by Bret Hanover, with 31). Never defeated in a race, Dan Patch lost only two of 56 heats (divisions of a harness race) in his three years of competition (1900–02). Thereafter, until his retirement in 1909, he traveled around the United States in his own railroad car and raced against the clock in exhibitions that drew large crowds.