Why is Australia proud of Phar Lap?

Answer 1

Phar Lap, a giant chestnut thoroughbred gelding, standing 17.1 hands high, is regarded by many to be Australia's and New Zealand's greatest racehorse. A much loved Australian national icon, he was actually born and bred in Timaru, in the South Island of New Zealand, but never raced in NZ.

Phar Lap dominated the racing scene in Australia during a long and distinguished career. In the four years of his racing career, he won 37 of 51 races he entered, including the Melbourne Cup in 1930. In that year and 1931, he won 14 races in a row. For his final race in 1932, Phar Lap was shipped 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. Perhaps Australia remembers Phar Lap with such pride because he was a magnificent horse with a huge heart (literally) who died a painful, unnecessary death. Early on 5 April 1932, Phar Lap's trainer for the North American visit, Tommy Woodcock, found him in severe pain, with a high temperature. Within a few hours, Phar Lap haemorrhaged to death. A necropsy revealed that the horse's stomach and intestines were inflamed, and many believed he had been deliberately poisoned. A variety of theories have been propounded through the years. In 2006 Australian Synchrotron Research scientists said it was almost certain Phar Lap was poisoned with a large single dose of arsenic 35 hours before he died, supporting the belief 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.

Phar Lap's heart was a remarkable size, weighing 6.2 kg, compared with a normal horse's heart at 3.2 kg. Phar Lap's heart is now held at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. It is consistently the display visitors request most often to see, and pay their respects to the gentle, big-hearted giant of the horse racing world.

Source: today.wmit.net - April 5