The international harness racing industry has been asked for immediate assistance and endorsement for the construction of a bigger than life-sized statue of the great Dan Patch.
The call has come from Susan Schroeder of the Minnesota Harness Horsemen’s Association. The stature would stand at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
It was at the fairgrounds that Dan Patch set his 1:55 record in 1906, so next year is the 110th anniversary of this great feat.
The statue would be placed on the last turn side of the grandstand, where the racehorse barns used to be. ‘Dan’ will be facing the finish line and plans are for him to be in full stride. There are also plans that the ‘track surface’ under Dan Patch will be a water feature so it will appear as he is moving down the track. Plans are for Dan to be 1.25 or 1.5 times life size, so this will be a larger than life sculpture.
The sculpture for this project is Alexa King who did the Barbaro statue at Churchill Downs. King is not only a world renowned sculpture, but also a harness racing fan. She grew up in Indiana and raced Trottingbred ponies as a child and has followed racing her entire life.
"We need letters of support of the concept of this project,” Schroeder has said. "We must get the permission from the Dan Patch Historical Society in Savage before the Minnesota State Fair Foundation will give the green light.
“We would like to present letters from industry leaders to the Historical Society this Wednesday, July 22nd at their annual meeting. Since they only meet one time a year, time is critical. If you could write a letter of support and email to me at [email protected], it would be greatly appreciated.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.