Chasing the Harness 2 Minute Mile
Record Miler Star Pointer Surpassed by Dan Patch, Rodney, Greyhound
Dan Patch took the unusual path of racing against Time after breaking Star Pointer's record mile. Greyhound, Rodney, and Peter Manning established harness milestones.
Star Pointer, affectionately known as "The Pinter", became a phenom when he began racing at age five. He was the first ever Standardbred to break the two minute mile, going 1:59-1/4 at Readville, Massachusetts in 1897.
Bred in Illinois in 1889 by Captain H.P. Pointer at Spring Hill, Tennessee, Star Pointer quickly reached star status. He took on the current pacing kings and defeated them all, first setting a record mile at 2:01 in 1897 in a warm up of things to come.
Star Pointer's accomplishments were soon dwarfed by the unstoppable Dan Patch.
Indiana-bred Dan Patch was a story all his own. The fastest pacer ever at the beginning of the 20th Century, Dan Patch had few willing competitors. So he became an exhibitor under the enterprising hand of Minnesotan M.W. Savage, traveling by special train car to Grand Circuit county fairs.
He regularly raced against his own Time and drew huge, loving crowds.
Dan Patch's record miles in 1905 and beyond weren't always officially recognized because he raced alone, or behind a runner pulling a sulky wagon to give him some inspiring competition. His untouched 1:55 mile in 1905 was paced at the Hamline, Massachusetts track.
Pacing against runners was banned for official Standardbred bookkeeping late in 1905, and Dan Patch's 1:55 mile was recorded as an exhibition, an unofficial wonder mile. Although unofficial, the milestone was never disputed. Dan Patch's fan base wouldn't allow its denial.
Joe Patchen, Dan Patch's sire, had closed in on the two minute pacing mile, setting his fastest time at 2:01-1/4. He was one of the five pacing kings of his time. John R. Gentry, Star Pointer, Robert J., and Frank Agan were the other four stars.
Rodney and Peter Manning at Hanover Shoe Farm
Rodney, "the big train", normally trotted miles in under two minutes. Undefeated Horse of the Year in 1948, he was the hero of a later time, after Dan Patch had become a legendary name in Standardbred history. Bred by the famous Hanover Shoe Farm, Rodney established a sterling racing record of 47 wins from 67 starts.
A successful sire, Rodney holds his own place as a Standardbred immortal.
Twenty plus years after Star Pointer's era, Peter Manning, an Illinois-bred, achieved the trotting mile in 1:57-3/4 at Lexington, Kentucky in 1921. Bred by William M. Wright, a Standardbred pioneer who's family later entered the Thoroughbred arena, Peter Manning didn't begin racing competitively until the age of three. He retired at Hanover Shoe Farm, passing on at the age of 27 in 1943.
That Gray Greyhound
Greyhound, foaled in 1932, was that unacceptable color, but all accepted his track magic. Purchased for $900 as a yearling for E.J. Baker, Greyhound lost three races as a juvenile, then went on a tear, winning 71 heats out of 82, and losing just one heat as a four-year-old.
In 1938, Greyhound set a world record, trotting the mile in 1:55-1/4 at Lexington.
These were several of the early four-footed heroes of America's once most popular sport, and the nation's own home grown sport, harness racing.
