FEATURE
Phar Lap had many nicknames, with 'Big Red', one of the most popular. (Australian Racing Museum)
In fairness to Baker, Phar Lap showed little early on to excite the racing pundits, and even his greatest admirer and trainer, Harry Telford, was unconvinced that his judgment would be vindicated. Finishing last at his first start had connections scratching their heads. But patience is a great thing in racing, and as 12-time Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Bart Cummings once stated, it is seldom used. Phar Lap came back as a spring 3YO, and following a fourth to Limerick in the Warwick Stakes (9 furlongs) at Warwick Farm at his fourth start, he began to catch the eye of racing scribes. He also caught the attention of Jim Pike, the champion rider, who quickly sought to secure him as a mount for the upcoming spring features. As the races started to get longer, this once scrawny colt, now a gelding, came into his own. He began to fill out his frame, build muscle, and adopt an imposing presence. But arguably his greatest asset was his temperament. As regular and champion race rider Jim Pike once said, ‘It is sacrilege, really, to ride some horses after once having been on the back of
Phar Lap. He was a phenomenon, a treat to ride, and a kind and generous fellow throughout the race’. Along with his heart, the length of his stride was also imposing. Just shy of 8 metres at its peak. The average stride length for a racehorse is 6 metres. While running an unruly third in the 1929 Melbourne Cup as a 3YO behind Nightmarch, ridden by the legendary Bobby Lewis, it would be the Flemington spring meeting of 1930 that would become the platform for his legendary status. Easily accounting for four other runners, Phar Lap would win the Melbourne Stakes (1¼ miles on Derby Day) on the first day of the spring meeting. He would then start the 8/11 favourite in the Melbourne Cup (2 miles) on day two, despite carrying the impost of 9 stone 12 pounds. He would become the shortest- priced favourite to win the Cup in the history of the race. He would then back up two days later in the Linlithgow Stakes (1 mile) on day three, before securing the C.B Fisher Plate (1½ miles) on the fourth and final day of the meeting. There was no betting on the Fisher Plate.
The only horse to win four races across the four days of the 1930 Flemington spring meeting.
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