SBOA donating Dan Patch book
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
Can Dan Patch do it again? The Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association (SBOA) of New Jersey certainly hopes so.

Dan Patch was a legendary pacer in the early years of the 20th century. He was as big, if not bigger, than any sports star in the country from 1900 to his death in 1916. Tens of thousands would come to see him race. He endorsed breakfast cereals, cigars, toys, etc. Harness racing ruled, thanks to this pacer who was born crippled and started off pulling a grocer's wagon. At his peak, he was earning $1 million a year for his owner while the top paid player in baseball, Ty Cobb, was earning $12,000 and drawing more than 100,000 fans to a race. Dan Patch raced from 1900-1909 retiring undefeated (he did lose two heat races). He set 14 world records during his career, including the fastest mile by a pacer, 1:55, in 1906 that stood for 32 years. After retiring in 1909, Dan Patch made appearances around the country in exhibition races.

The story of Dan Patch has been told in a new book "Crazy Good: The True Story of Dan Patch, the Most Famous Horse in America," by Charles Leerhsen.

The SBOANJ is donating 36 copies of Leershen's book to county and college libraries throughout the state in an effort to bring the unique story of this racehorse to the public, while at the same time rekindling interest in harness racing and its storied past. They would like to see the book have the same impact on harness racing as the Seabiscuit book and movie had thoroughbred racing. Dan Patch certainly has a Hollywood story of his own.

Tom Luchento, president of the SBOANJ, was at the Monmouth County Library in Manalapan on Thursday donating a copy of the book. Harness racing, he explained, is truly an American sport with a great history in the Garden State.

"The heritage of horse racing in New Jersey is right here," Luchento said of Monmouth County. "It's the hub of breeding and training in the state. Two [Freehold Raceway and Monmouth Park] of the three racetracks are here.

"We're trying to bring back some understanding of the history of the sport," he added. "Young people don't know who he [Dan Patch] was."

Luchento reported that many of the horses that race at Freehold Raceway and the Meadowlands could track their pedigree back to Dan Patch.

Besides the story of Dan Patch, the book is also cultural history of the United States in the first two decades of the 20th century, Luchento pointed out.

People can read a stirring story of Dan Patch and at the same time learn what America was like at the turn of the century. One of the reasons that harness racing was so popular is that the horse and buggy were the means of transportation. This is before the mass manufacturing of the car.

"Everyone drove a horse, it was a big thing," said Luchento. "Everyone had a pacer or a trotter.Alot of people raced them on the side [there are reports of races down Main Street in Freehold Borough]."

That made harness racing much bigger than thoroughbred at the time and the reason that Dan Patch touched so many people. Harry Truman recalled as a young boy writing a fan letter to the famed racehorse. Dwight Eisenhower and his family went to the Kansas State Fair to watch Dan Patch race.

If the book can bring attention back to harness racing, Dan Patch will again make the sport front-page news.