by Evan Pattak, for The Meadows

Washington, PA — The Meadows Racetrack & Casino announced today that it has donated the bulk of its Dan Patch, Delvin Miller/Adios, and Meadows Memorabilia Collections — spanning 216 artifacts — to the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y.

Meadows Racing, a unit of Cannery Casino Resorts, assumed all racetrack management responsibilities of Meadows Racetrack & Casino on Sept. 1 from Magna Entertainment. Mike Jeannot, president of Meadows Racing, said the donation will make these treasures more accessible to harness fans, media and historians.

“Dan Patch, Delvin Miller and Adios are three pivotal figures in the history of harness racing, important to harness enthusiasts and researchers alike,” he said. “The museum will provide the most effective and enduring showcase for these collections, serving to broaden public awareness and understanding of our sport.”

Gail C. Cunard, director of the museum, called the donation “a significant contribution which will certainly be enjoyed by our visitors and researchers.”

“This gift will enable us to mount perhaps one of the most important exhibitions of Dan Patch memorabilia ever assembled under one roof,” she said. “We’re deeply appreciative that The Meadows chose to make the collections available to the public through us.”

The Meadows acquired the collections in 2000 from Mary Lib Miller, wife of the late Delvin Miller, who founded The Meadows in 1963. Mary Lib Miller died on Sept. 1, 2009. The collections previously were displayed at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Museum of Rural Life, the Washington County (PA) site of the Miller ancestral farm.

When The Meadows Racetrack & Casino opened its new facility last year, it dedicated a portion of its race book area for a limited display from the collections. Jeannot said that display will remain.

“That gives us the best of both worlds,” he said. “Our fans still may enjoy our exhibit, while the larger harness racing community will have convenient access to the bulk of the collections.”

In the years just before and after the turn of the 20th century, Dan Patch captured America’s imagination as no horse before or since. His legendary speed and personality inspired the introduction of dozens of merchandise lines. The collections feature examples of such products, including Dan Patch tobacco tins and boxes.

Also included are photos of the plush private railroad car on which Dan Patch traveled the country and sheet music of The Dan Patch Two Step.

The collections don’t neglect the pacer’s human connections, offering photos of Myron McHenry, Dan Patch’s most renowned driver, and M.W. Savage, the horse’s owner during the most celebrated portion of his career. One photo shows Savage, ever mindful of publicity, paddling a canoe with his wife across a flooded racetrack.

Miller bought Adios in 1948, and the pacer soon became one of the most influential stallions in harness racing. He produced the first two pacing Triple Crown winners (Adios Butler, Bret Hanover) as well as five consecutive Little Brown Jug winners. In 1956, he became the first stallion of any breed to sire the winners of $1 million in a single year.

The collections include a wood relief sculpture of Adios, a rich variety of paintings and drawings of the great stallion and the original receipt of Miller’s purchase of Adios at auction for $21,000. The price remained something of a sore spot for Miller, who contended that his bid of $20,100 was “misinterpreted” by the auctioneer.

A world-class entertainment destination, The Meadows Racetrack & Casino recently opened the final phase of its $175 million, 350,000-square-foot facility, which includes 3,700 slot machines, an electronic table-games pit, premier restaurants with spectacular views of the gaming floor and the racetrack, a new racing grandstand, a simulcast area, VIP super boxes and an all-ages bowling center. For more information, go to www.meadowsgaming.com.

“Racing at The Meadows is off to a great start at our new facility, but race fans haven’t seen anything yet,” Jeannot said. “We plan to take harness racing to a whole new level. Harness racing has a deep and rich tradition at The Meadows, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to build on that through Meadows Racing. We have a great team in place, and everyone is excited to be a part of this new challenge to make racing better than ever at The Meadows.”