Death of Phar Lap

The champion racehorse Phar Lap has been the source of great trans-Tasman debate and rivalry. Phar Lap was New Zealand-born and bred, but never raced in this country. He won 37 of his 51 races (50 in Australia) and was placed second or third in five others. At the height of his career he was as close to a ‘sure bet’ as was possible in the unpredictable world of horse racing. From the autumn of 1930 he won 32 of his last 35 races, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup. In the gloom of the great Depression, Phar Lap’s exploits thrilled the people of two countries.

Phar Lap arrived in Australia as a two-year-old. A bright red chestnut, he grew to a huge 17.1 hands (1.74 m) high, earning nicknames such as ‘Big Red’ and ‘The Red Terror’. His name meant ‘lightning’ in the Thai language, and he lived up to it with his ability to finish races with a surge of speed. While he was no looker, with warts all over his head, this mattered little to the punters. 

Having conquered Australia, Phar Lap seemed set for similar triumphs in America. On 24 March 1932 he won the rich Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico by two lengths and in record time. Invitations to race in major meetings in the eastern United States flooded in. Unfortunately, Phar Lap died mysteriously 12 days later. There were suspicions that he had been fed poisoned grass, but the cause of death was never established.

Both New Zealand and Australia wanted a share of the champion’s remains. His heart, which weighed 6.3 kg (the equine average is 3.6 kg), went to Canberra, while the Museum of Victoria in Melbourne obtained his hide. Phar Lap’s bones were returned to New Zealand and his skeleton is on display at Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington.