Instead, he ended his racing career performing time trials, and traveled extensively on exhibition, earning millions of dollars in purses, attendance gate receipts, and product endorsements.

However, a close friend named John Wattles, the owner of the livery stable in which Dan Patch was foaled, saw potential in the colt.

The locals were increasingly impressed by the almost black colt, who loved to move fast, but was biddable enough to pull young boys behind him on the sleigh.

A two-year-old daughter of Dan Patch died suddenly in February 1902, apparently from poisoning, and Messner believed that Sturges was responsible.

Before his first start in August 1900, Dan Patch impressed Messner and Wattles with a timed mile of 2:14, a promising performance for an unprompted horse who did not seem to be working hard.

Dan Patch was jostled and trapped at the back of the field until Wattles finally found racing room as they entered the homestretch.

[9] In 1901, Messner decided to test Dan Patch against the best horses in the country on the Grand Circuit, a series of valuable races around the north-eastern United States.

McHenry had the toe of Dan Patch's feet trimmed short while using a shoe that was raised in the back, a combination that some observers said made the horse look like he was wearing high heels.

[15] Always a natural pacer who required no hobbles or special equipment to keep him on stride, Dan Patch soon attracted interest from observers of the training sessions.

The Globe reporter noted that Dan Patch was clearly superior to the field while the race result would be "as close as McHenry cares to draw the finishes."

The Oxford Tribune wrote, "It does not seem possible to those of our town who see this beautiful stallion, as gentle as a Newfoundland dog, driven about every fine day for exercise, that they are looking at the pacing king of the world."

[17] In a surprising development, Dan Patch was sold to Manley Sturges in February, and was relocated to New York with McHenry remaining as his driver.

After strong attempts in Philadelphia, Syracuse and Empire City, Dan Patch finally tied Star Pointer's world record on September 29 at Readville.

[8] Not long after buying Dan Patch, Savage entered him in the Minneapolis Riding and Driving Club's winter horse show held on January 29, 1903.

Despite being short of conditioning and pacing into a headwind, Dan Patch tied Prince Alert's world record for the half mile of 573⁄4 seconds.

[12] Dan Patch's next notable achievement was on August 19 at Brighton Beach, where he broke the world record by pacing a mile in 1:59 despite cold and windy conditions.

The effort was nearly derailed when Dan Patch came close to clipping the rail when moving into the first turn, while his running mates swept wide and were left behind.

McHenry urged Dan Patch hard down the homestretch and he responded with a final quarter mile in under 30 seconds to set the record.

Prince Alert then lowered the world record on a one-mile track to an astonishing 1:57, thanks in part to perfect weather conditions but also aided by a large canvas sail carried between the galloping horses who set the pace.

Although the usage of wind shields was eventually disallowed by the American Trotting Register, in the short term it meant that Dan Patch was no longer the fastest harness horse in the world.

A variety of reasons were cited, including McHenry's drinking and his complaints that Savage was treating Dan Patch like a circus act.

Savage had no inclination to test Dan Patch in competitive formats, where even the fastest horse can lose due to a variety of factors.

The condition quickly deteriorated and a respected veterinarian diagnosed a strangulated hernia, which had a very high fatality rate at the time since abdominal surgery on horses was not then an option.

Some skeptics wondered if Savage had manufactured the crisis for the resulting publicity, though this seems unlikely since he was not present when the horse first became ill. Dan Patch made a brief appearance before the crowd in Topeka before being shipped home to Minnesota.

He then shipped to Lexington, where he tied his own world record of 1:56 while surrounded by a cloud of dust, leading the New York Times to call him the "Black Whirlwind".

The harness racing community was becoming increasingly concerned about the use of prompters and wind shields,[30] so Savage wished to establish that Dan Patch could break Star Pointer's old record without assistance.

"[8] Among the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out for a glimpse of the horse over his career was Dwight Eisenhower, who lined up with his parents at the 1904 Kansas State Fair.

Today, the land in Savage formerly occupied by the Taj Mahal stables and racetracks is vacant, though the outline of a track is visible from the air,[37] near the intersection of State Highway 13 and Vernon Avenue.

[38] In 1997, it helped set up a Heritage Room in the Savage Public Library, which contains two display cases of Dan Patch memorabilia and extensive records.

Savage's track however would spur growth along all the cities it lay and service industries like Ford, John Deere and Thermo King.