FEATURE
At the request of owner David Davis, Phar Lap departed soon after for Mexico, where he took on the world’s best in the Agua Caliente Handicap. Again targeted by his opposition, he won with ease. He was now a global force, and Davis was well aware of the spoils that would come with it. However, sixteen days later, in circumstances shrouded in mystery, he would be dead. A conspiracy, perhaps. Phar Lap suffered a bout of colic as a result of arsenic poisoning. News reached Australian shores soon after 5th April, 1932, from the US: “Phar Lap is dead,” read the headlines. The silence across the nation was deafening. Australians would once again be forced to their knees. Once
a sign of hope, it was now a source of the cruellest heartbreak. The legacy of Phar Lap is now shared across the broader community, with his hide at the Melbourne Museum, his skeleton at the Te Papa Museum in Wellington, and his heart at the National Museum in Canberra. The Melbourne Museum exhibit is the number one attraction at Victoria’s premier historical institution and will commemorate his 100th anniversary with an exhibition throughout 2026. He is a legend and deserves all the accolades. His story is as fascinating to this writer now as it was when he was a teenager. How can one horse be so good? Simple. His name is Phar Lap.
Won the 1930 Melbourne Cup as the shortest- priced favourite in the race’s history, carrying 9 stone 12 pounds.
Phar Lap's eight-day winning streak captivated a nation in the grip of the Depression. (VRC Collection)
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