Patches the ox makes a big appearance for the small screen at the O.C. Fair

July 24, 2017 2:45 PM PT

It was a curious sight.

On Saturday evening, Patches, a 13-year-old American lineback ox, was released from his pen during the Orange County Fair to stroll among throngs of inquisitive people.

He and his escort Philip Henderson circled around, surprising passersby who remarked at Patches’ size.

The 3,000-pound bovine has lived at Centennial Farm on the Costa Mesa fairgrounds pretty much his entire life.

He got out of his pen Saturday for a special occasion. A crew from “Nova,” the PBS science TV series, was there to film him for a segment about probability and prediction. The episode will use its footage of Patches alongside a new experiment inspired by how Sir Francis Galton, an English statistician, studied a livestock contest in which participants guessed an ox’s weight.

Walking alongside Henderson and Patches was Talithia Williams, an associate math professor at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont. The noted statistician gave a TED Talk in 2014 called “Own Your Body’s Data,” which advises people to record simple data about themselves daily.

Patches, Henderson and Williams slowly meandered outside Centennial Farm, with passersby — unaware of the filming — occasionally interrupting the small crew’s shots. Mostly, though, everyone gushed about Patches.

“That is a huge cow!”

“Wow!”

“Don’t judge him. He’s just a cow.”

“That is a huge horse!”

No one called him an ox, which, his handlers noted, differentiates him from typical cattle because he’s trained to work.

After the walk, Williams shot some takes with Henderson and Patches standing behind her.

Patches’ handlers said he’s used to crowds and being touched and talked about.

Unlike the Budweiser Clydesdales, which have security details, Patches had no such extra escort.

The “Nova” episode with Patches doesn’t yet have an air date but is expected to be broadcast in 2018.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint

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