Comprehensive information and links about Phar Lap

Phar Lap (in pronunciation, the words are run together usually as one word: "farlap") was a thoroughbred horse who is considered by many to be Australasia's greatest-ever racehorse. Although Phar Lap was bred in New Zealand, he was very much a part of the Australian racing scene during his long and distinguished career, and was sometimes called "Australia's wonder horse". He was also called "The Red Terror" and "Big Red" the same nickname as the two greatest US racehorses ever, Man O' War and Secretariat.

Phar Lap was foaled in Timaru, New Zealand in 1926. The name Phar Lap derives from the shared Zhuang and Thai word for lightning[1] (Thai: ฟ้าแลบ span title="Pronunciation in IPA" , lit. 'sky flash'). He was purchased for 160gns and taken to Australia by the new owner, American-born sportsman, David J. Davis.

In his four years of racing, Phar Lap won 37 of the 51 races in which he was entered, including the prestigious Melbourne Cup in 1930. In that year and 1931, he won 14 races in a row. From his win as a 3 year old in the VRC St. Leger Stakes until his final race in Mexico, Phar Lap won 32 of 35 races. In the three races which he did not win, he ran 2nd on two occasions, beaten by a short head and a neck, and in the 1931 Melbourne Cup he finished 8th when carrying 10st 10lbs (68kg).

In 1930, someone (alleged to have been a bookmaker losing vast amounts of money) tried to shoot the horse.

For his final race in 1932, Phar Lap's owner shipped him by boat to a racetrack near Tijuana, Mexico to compete in the Agua Caliente Handicap, which was offering the largest purse ever raced for in North America. Phar Lap won in track-record time while carrying 129 pounds (58.5 kg). From there, the horse was sent to a private ranch near Menlo Park, California while his owner negotiated with racetrack officials for special race appearances.

Death

Early on April 5, 1932, the horse's trainer found him in severe pain, carrying a high temperature. Within a few hours, Phar Lap hemorrhaged to death. Much speculation ensued, and when an autopsy revealed that the horse's stomach and intestines were inflamed, many believed the horse had been deliberately poisoned. There have been alternate theories, including accidental poisoning from lead insecticide and a stomach condition. At any rate, he never had the opportunity to confront the great Equipoise, the so called by his fans, and the dominant American thoroughbred racehorse of the day (horse of the year in 1932 and 1933 and an exceptional performer in his own right).

Following his death his heart was donated to the Institute of Anatomy in Canberra and his skeleton to the Te Papa New Zealand National Museum in Wellington. After preparations of the hide by a New York City taxidermist, his stuffed was placed in the Australia Gallery at Melbourne Museum.

Phar Lap's heart was remarkable for its size, weighing some 6.2 kg, compared with a normal horse's heart at 3.2 kg. (Although in 1989 the famous Secretariat's heart weighed in at an astonishing 9.6 kg)

When news of Phar Lap's death reached Australia thousands grieved. Many sporting champions paid tribute to the horse, including Australia's leading cyclist, Hubert Opperman who said, "I am not a follower of horse-racing, but like every Australian with red blood in their veins, I have followed with close interest Phar Lap's gallops to world fame. Even during the Tour de France, I've had strangers ask after our champion racehorse, and had it been possible for him to visit the Continent, he would have been received with royal honours. He was truly a great boost for Australia and, like every other Australian, I mourn his passing. In my opinion, there is nothing maudlin in a nation mourning the loss of a racehorse when that horse is Phar Lap."

. A song, "Phar Lap—Farewell To You", was also written.

Phar Lap was inducted, as one of the five inaugural horse inductees into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, alongside the other turf immortals Carbine, Tulloch, Bernborough and Kingston Town.

In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Phar Lap was ranked #22.