Dan Patch history in Delaware

Tucked away in a small museum in Harrington, Delaware, is a significant piece of harness racing history that is part of a little-known display of the sports memorabilia.

I had an opportunity to see it in person on a recent trip to Harrington Raceway, the 71st horse racetrack in the United States that I have visited.  My good friend Heather Vitale, who I like to call an ambassador of harness racing, took me to the Greater Harrington Historical Museum with the suggestion that I would be surprised to see the neat harness racing “stuff” there.

The Museum has a modest harness racing display with a long, glass-enclosed case with memorabilia that includes a large, 2-foot-high silver cup on a wood-based trophy dating back to the world record 1:55¼ mile set by the great Dan Patch in 1905 in a time trial at Lexington, KY.

On October 7 that year, M. W. Savage, who owned Dan Patch at the time, presented the trophy to Harry Hersey, who drove Dan Patch to the record.

Hersey specified in his will that when he died, his trophy should be awarded to the harness driver who drove the horse that broke Dan Patch’s record.

Although Billy Direct, with Vic Fleming driving, was time-trialed in 1:55 in 1938 in Lexington, Hersey was still alive, and his will would not take effect until he died in 1940.

So, it was 50 years after Hersey earned the trophy that the provision in his will actually could be carried out. That happened in 1955 when Luther Lyons drove Adios Harry to a 1:55 record in a race at Vernon, NY.  Lyons, who lived in Greenwood, DE, also has his driving colors on display with the trophy, donated by the Lyons family.

The Harrington Museum’s harness racing memorabilia includes dozens of winner’s circle photos, driving colors of Delaware area horse people, horseshoes and other racing equipment donated by the Harrington-based stables, including Joann and Jim King Jr., Heather’s parents, and 2022 Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductee George Teague.

There is a banner recognizing 2004 Horse of The Year Rainbow Blue, trained by Teague, and a sign recognizing 2019 Horse of the Year Shartin N, trained by King.

The Greater Harrington Historical Museum, which is located at 108 Fleming Street, Harrington, DE, is open on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. or by appointment by clicking here. 

by Leon Zimmerman, for USHWA