PHAR LAP

: ''For the computer software, see: Phar Lap (company)''.
'Phar Lap' (usually pronounced as one word: "farlap") was a giant chestnut gelding, standing 17.1 hands, considered by many to be Australasia's greatest-ever racehorse. At the time of his death, Phar Lap was the third highest stake-winner in the world. Bookmakers offered very short odds on him, even refusing to accept any bets on some races.
Phar Lap was born and bred in New Zealand, but following his purchase became a part of the Australian racing scene during his long and distinguished racing career. He was sometimes called "Australia's wonder horse" in that country. 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.

★ Sire: Night Raid - (United Kingdom), b. 1918

★ Dam: Entreaty - (New Zealand), b. 1920
Phar Lap was foaled in Timaru, New Zealand, in 1926.

Contents

Name

Off to a slow start

Racing life

Death

Cultural impact

Racing record

1928-29 season as a two year old

1929-30 season as a three year old

1930-31 season as a four year old

1931-32 season as a five year old

Pedigree

Notes

External links

Name

The name Phar Lap derives from the shared Zhuang and Thai word for lightning (Thai: ฟ้าแลบ , lit. 'sky flash').^[1]
According to the Museum Victoria, Aubrey Ping, studying medicine at the University of Sydney, had the track in Randwick as a regular haunt, and he often talked with riders and trainers. He had learned some Zhuang from his father, who migrated to Australia from southern China in the 19th century. He was the one who suggested "farlap" as the horse's name. Telford liked the name, but changed the F to a PH to create a seven letter word, and split it into two words, so as to replicate the dominant pattern set by Melbourne Cup winners.

Off to a slow start

Sydney trainer Harry Telford persuaded American-born sportsman David J. Davis to buy the colt at auction, based on his pedigree. Telford's brother Hugh, who lived in New Zealand, was asked to bid up to 190 guineas. When the horse was obtained for a mere 160 guineas, he thought the he was a great bargain - until the colt arrived in Australia. The horse was gangly, his face was covered with warts, and he had an awkward gait. Davis was furious when he saw the colt as well, and refused to pay to train the horse. Telford had not been particularly successful as a trainer, and Davis was one of his few remaining owners. To placate Davis, he agreed to train the horse for nothing, in exchange for a 2/3 share of the winnings - if any.
Although syndicating a winning racehorse can be quite lucrative, Telford gelded Phar Lap anyway, hoping that the colt would concentrate on racing.
Phar Lap came in last the first race he entered, and he did not place in his next three races. He won his first race on April 27, 1929, the Maiden Juvenile Handicap at Rosehill, ridden by Jack Baker of Armidale, a 17-year-old apprentice.^[2] The word ''maiden'' indicates that none of the horses in the race had won. They spelled the horse for several months, then entered him in a series of races in which he moved up in class. The horse took second in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick on September 14, 1929, and the racing community started treating the horse with respect.

Racing life

In his four years of his racing career, 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 three-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 that he did not win, he ran second on two occasions, beaten by a short head and a neck, and in the 1931 Melbourne Cup he finished eighth when carrying 10 st 10 lb (68 kg).
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 Agua Caliente 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 for the North American visit, Tommy Woodcock, found him in severe pain and carrying a high temperature. Within a few hours, Phar Lap hemorrhaged to death. Much speculation ensued, and when a necropsy revealed that the horse's stomach and intestines were inflamed, many believed the horse had been deliberately poisoned. There have been alternative theories, including accidental poisoning from lead insecticide and a stomach condition.
In 2000, equine specialists studying the two necropsies concluded that Phar Lap probably died of duodenitis-proximal jejunitis, an acute bacterial gastroenteritis. It was not until the 1980s that the infection could be formally identified.
However, in 2006 Australian Synchrotron Research scientists said it was almost certain Phar Lap was poisoned with a large dose of arsenic, supporting the theory that Phar Lap was killed on the orders of US gangsters, who feared the Melbourne-Cup-winning champion would inflict big losses on their illegal bookmakers.^[3]
Sydney veterinarian Dr Percy Sykes believes poisoning did not cause the death. He said "In those days, arsenic was quite a common tonic, usually given in the form of a solution," and suggests this was the cause of the high levels. "It was so common that I'd reckon 90 per cent of the horses had arsenic in their system."^[4]
Phar Lap never had the opportunity to confront the great Equipoise, called ''Chocolate Soldier'' 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, Phar Lap's heart was donated to the Institute of Anatomy in Canberra and his skeleton to the New Zealand National Museum in Wellington. After preparations of the hide by a New York City taxidermist, his stuffed body was placed in the Australia Gallery at Melbourne Museum.
Phar Lap's heart was remarkable for its size, weighing 6.2 kg, compared with a normal horse's heart at 3.2 kg. (In 1989 the famous Secretariat's heart was examined at a necropsy performed at his death. The veterinarian recorded the heart weight at an astonishing 9.6 kg — 21 pounds officially, though it was estimated at 21 to 22 pounds).
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. He 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 gallop 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."

Cultural impact

Several books and films have been written about the horse, including the 1983 movie ''Phar Lap'' or ''Phar Lap: Heart of a Nation''. A song, "Phar Lap—Farewell To You", was also written.
Phar Lap was one of the five inaugural inductees into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, alongside 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 no. 22.
A life-sized bronze memorial to Phar Lap is to be created in South Canterbury in New Zealand, where Phar Lap was born.^[5]
Phar Lap was the inspiration for the name of the Chicago musical group, "Kevin Tihista's Red Terror."

Racing record

1928-29 season as a two year old

-	RRC Nursery Hcp	5 1/2f	6.11	Exact	1st
-	Hawkesbury Two Year Old Hcp	5f	7.3	Sheila	1st
-	RRC Nursery Hcp	6f	6.7	My Talisman	1st
-	AJC Easter Stakes	7f	7.6	Carradale	1st
Won	RRC Maiden Juvenile Hcp	6f	7.9	Voleuse	2nd

1929-30 season as a three year old

-	AJC Denham Court Hcp	6f	7.2	Killarney	1st
-	RRC Three Year Old Hcp	7f	7.13	Firbolg / King Crow	1st
-	RRC Three & Four Year Old Hcp	7f	7.6	Ticino	1st
-	AJC Warwick Stakes (wfa)	8f	7.6	Limerick	1st
2nd	Tatts Chelmsford Stakes	9f	7.6	Mollison	1st
Won	RRC Rosehill Guineas	9f	8.5	Lorason	2nd
Won	AJC Derby	12f	8.10	Carradale	2nd
Won	AJC Craven Plate (wfa)	10f	7.8	Mollison	2nd
Won	VRC Derby	12f	8.10	Carradale	2nd
3rd	VRC Melbourne Cup	2 m	7.6	Nightmarch	1st
3rd	VATC St George Stakes	9f	8.10	Amounis	1st
Won	VRC St Leger Stakes	14f	8.10	Sir Ribble	2nd
Won	VRC Governor's Plate (wfa)	12f	7.13	Lineage	2nd
Won	VRC King's Plate (wfa)	2 m	7.11	Second Wind	2nd
Won	AJC Chipping Norton Stakes	10f	8.10	Amounis	2nd
Won	AJC St Leger	14f	8.10	Sir Ribble	2nd
Won	AJC Cumberland Stakes (wfa)	14f	8.1	Donald	2nd
Won	AJC Plate (wfa)	2 1/4 m	7.13	Nightmarch	2nd
Won	SAJC Elder Stakes (wfa)	9f	8.4	Fruition	2nd
Won	SAJC King's Cup	12f	9.5	Nadean	2nd

1930-31 season as a four year old

2nd	AJC Warwick Stakes (wfa)	8f	8.11	Amounis	1st
Won	Tatts Chelmsford Stakes	9f	9.4	Nightmarch	2nd
Won	RRC Hill Stakes	8f	9.4	Nightmarch	2nd
Won	AJC Spring Stakes (wfa)	12f	8.11	Nightmarch	2nd
Won	AJC Craven Plate (wfa)	10f	8.11	Nightmarch	2nd
Won	AJC Randwick Plate (wfa)	2 m	8.11	Donald	2nd
Won	MVRC W.S. Cox Plate (wfa)	9 1/2f	8.11	Tregilla	2nd
Won	VRC Melbourne Stakes (wfa)	10f	8.11	Tregilla	2nd
Won	VRC Melbourne Cup	2 m	9.12	Second Wind	2nd
Won	VRC Linlithgow Stakes (wfa)	8f	8.12	Mollison	2nd
Won	VRC C.B. Fisher Plate (wfa)	12f	8.12	Second Wind	2nd
Won	VATC St George Stakes	9f	9.7	Induna	2nd
Won	VATC Futurity Stakes	7f	10.3	Mystic Peak	2nd
Won	VRC Essendon Stakes (wfa)	10f	8.7	Lampra	2nd
Won	VRC King's Plate	12f	9.7	Glare	2nd
2nd	VRC C.M. Lloyd Stakes	8f	9.7	Waterline	1st

1931-32 season as a five year old

Won	WRC Underwood Stakes (wfa)	8f	9.0	Rondalina	2nd
Won	VATC Memsie Stakes	9f	9.8	Rondalina	2nd
Won	RRC Hill Stakes (wfa)	8f	9.0	Chide	2nd
Won	AJC Spring Stakes (wfa)	12f	9.2	Chide	2nd
Won	AJC Craven Plate (wfa)	10f	9.1	Pentheus	2nd
Won	AJC Randwick Plate (wfa)	2 m	9.3	Chide	2nd
Won	MVRC W.S. Cox Plate (wfa)	9 1/2f	9.4	Chatham	2nd
Won	VRC Melbourne Stakes (wfa)	10f	9.1	Concentrate	2nd
8th	VRC Melbourne Cup	2 m	10.10	White Nose	1st
Won	Agua Caliente Hcp	10f	9.3	Reveille Boy	2nd

'TOTAL: 51 starts - 37 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds, 9 unplaced'

Pedigree

Notes

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External links

★ Science finds new angle to Phar Lap mystery - Horsetalk, October 2006

★ Phar Lap at Museum Victoria, Melbourne Australia

★ Phar Lap at Te Papa, New Zealand

★ ''Phar Lap'' at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

★ Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame

★ Phar Lap Australia's Wonder Horse

★ Book Review of 'Phar Lap' by Geoff Armstrong and Peter Thompson

★ Digital Photo Collection on Phar Lap

★ Life-sized Phar Lap bronze to be created in Timaru