Phar Lap – The Wonder Horse

Phar Lap – The Wonder Horse

Phar lap was not just horse, it was culture and legacy. ( See Video )

Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion racehorse whose achievements captured the people's imagination during the early years of the Great Depression

The name Phar Lap derives from the common Zhuang and Thai word for lightning

Phar Lap was called the "Wonder Horse", "Red Terror", "Bobby" and "Big Red" (the latter nickname was also given to two of the greatest US racehorses, Man o' War and Secretariat for their colour and achievements.

Phar Lap was a late foal born on 4 October 1926 in Seadown near Timaru in the South Island of New Zealand. He was by Night Raid out of Winkie mare Entreaty.

Sydney trainer Harry Telford convinced American businessman 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 at the 1928 Trentham Yearling Sales. When the horse was obtained for a mere 160 guineas, he thought it 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, to placate Davis, he agreed to train the horse for nothing, in exchange for a two-thirds share of any winnings

Phar Lap finished last in the first race and did not place in his next three races. He won his first race on 27 April 1929, the Maiden Juvenile Handicap at Rosehill, ridden by Jack Baker a 17-year-old apprentice He didn't race for several months but was then entered in a series of races, in which he moved up in class. Phar Lap took second in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick on 14 September 1929 and the racing community started treating him with respect.

As his achievements grew, there were some who tried to halt his progress. Criminals tried to shoot Phar Lap on the morning of Saturday 1 November 1930 after he had finished track work. They missed, and later that day he won the Melbourne Stakes, and three days later the Melbourne Cup as odds-on favourite, heavily penalized in the 1931 Melbourne Cup he finished eighth when carrying 68 kg

Phar Lap at the time was owned by American businessman David J. Davis and leased to Telford. After their three-year lease agreement ended, Telford had enough money to become joint owner of the horse. Davis then had Phar Lap shipped to North America to race. Telford refused to go, so Davis, who along with his wife traveled to Mexico with him, brought Phar Lap's groom Tommy Woodcock as his new trainer. Phar Lap was shipped 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 this race in record time while carrying 129 pounds  58.5 kg and was ridden by Australian jockey Billy Elliot. The horse was sent to a private ranch near Menlo Park, California, while his owner negotiated with racetrack officials for special race appearances.

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Early on 5 April 1932, the horse's trainer for the North American visit, Tommy Woodcock, found him in severe pain and having a high temperature. Within a few hours, Phar Lap haemorrhaged 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 sprayed with help of aeroplanes on adjoined cultivated fields. It was not until the 1980s that the infection could be formally identified. In 2000, equine specialists studying the two necropsies concluded that Phar Lap probably died of duodenitis-proximal jejunitis, an acute bacterial gastroenteritis

However, in 2006 Australian Synchrotron Research scientists said it was almost certain Phar Lap was poisoned with a large single dose of arsenic in the hours before he died, perhaps supporting the theory that Phar Lap was killed on the orders of U.S. gangsters, who feared the Melbourne-Cup-winning champion would inflict big losses on their illegal bookmakers

Following his death, Phar Lap's heart was donated to the Institute of Anatomy in Canberra Phar Lap's heart was remarkable for its size, weighing 6.2 kg (13.6 lbs), compared with a normal horse's heart at 3.2 kg. Racing experts attribute his success to this massive heart of his.

Phar Lap five generation pedigree click on the below link

http://www.pedigreequery.com/phar+lap