Phar Lap the wonder horse of Australia was responsible for the lifting of the Australian spirit during the great depression. The horse became almost a legend of the racing arena of Australia during 1930s. The legend of Phar Lap has even inspired film makers to make a film on this horse. The legend of Phar Lap had become more significant because he appeared in a time when Australia was desperately in need of a hero. Even today this horse is the symbol of the turfs in Australia. In the national Museum of Australia the heart of Phar Lap is preserved. Initially the heart was with the Institute of Anatomy in Canberra. There were also many books which were written on this famous horse. There is even a song dedicated to this extraordinary animal known as �Phar Lap �Farewell To You�.
Phar Lap the horse was born in 1926 in Timaru, a region of New Zealand and the horse was even bred there. The horse was of chestnut colour and due to this colour he was referred by some as �The Red Terror�. The owner of this horse was David Davis and it was trained by Harry Telford. Phar Lap was the offspring of Night Raid and Entreaty the two horses which were from United Kingdom and New Zealand respectively. The name Phar Lap was initially spelt as Far lap but it was changed to Phar to make the name a seven letter word.
The golden period of Phar Lap continued for a period of two years. This horse in his career won 37 races among the total 51 races it participated in. The most notable among these was the phenomenal win of this horse in Melbourne cup for consecutively three times. Some of the races which were won by this horse were Futurity Stakes, AJC Derby, Linlithgow Stakes, Underwood Stakes, Cox Plate and Victoria Derby. Phar Lap was enlisted in the Top 100 U.S. race horses of the 20th century. The success of this horse was such that the bookmakers refused to take any bets. The horse achieved an incredible feat when it managed to win all the races held in spring carnival of Flemington. The last race in which Phar Lap took part was in 1932. He was brought to the race course by his owner in a boat and he won even his last race.
The end of this phenomenal horse was very sad. It is believed that he was poisoned which led to hemorrhage and finally death. The recent researches have proved that Phar Lap was poisoned and the prime suspects and gangsters of United Sates. During the time of his death the horse was in excellent health condition. But his death brought an abrupt end to his bright career. Melbourne museum exhibits the body parts of the horse he also is a part of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
