History of Phar Lap

Sydney trainer Harry Telford saw potential in an ungainly colt from New Zealand and, despite criticism for his choice from his peers, he took the horse on. Telford gave the horse the mane Phar Lap, a Thai phrase for 'lightening' and a testimony to his faith in the horse. Phar Lap's first win came in at Rosehill in 1929 in the Maiden Handicap Juvenile. A string of victories followed in late 1929 and early 1930.
The horse became known as the 'Red Terror', affectionately by the thousands of unemployed given a morale boost during the heartbreaking depression, and apprehensively by the bookmakers. Phar Lap's impressive record continued to grow, the illegal bookmakers suffering with each win. On an early spring morning in 1930, shots were fired at the magnificent horse. He was uninjured and went on, that day, to win the Melbourne Stakes.
Phar Laps rise to the top was complete with his win in the 1930 Melbourne Cup, capturing the hearts of both racing fans and the Australian public alike. Telford's critics were finally silenced. The following year, the large framed horse - 17 hands - attempted to repeat the win. Despite a herculean effort, the massive 70 kilograms the handicapper forced him to carry proved too much on the day.
In 1932, Phar Lap was set to conquer the world when strapper and stand-in trainer, Tommy Woodcock, accompanied the horse to Mexico. Despite an injury carried into the race, Phar Lap defied the odds to win the $50,000 Agua Caliente Handicap in a record time.
Sixteen days later, on 5 April, 1932 tragedy struck. After returning to California with his trainer, Phar Lap's condition suddenly deteriorated. Phar Lap died and although many theories have surfaced, the exact cause was never established, leaving a controversy over the passing of Australia's most famous racing icon.
Phar Lap's greatness can be seen in his record - 37 wins from 51 starts and stakes winning which were the third highest in the world at the time.