Phar Lap

1. Phar Lap 4th October 1926- 5th April 1932 By Christina Reay

2. CONTENTS • Who is Phar Lap? • Why was he loved so much? • Who was Tommy Woodcock? • “Phar Lap” the movie • The Melbourne Cup • Owners/Trainers • Details • The Legend • An artist’s impression • Bibliography • Questions Phar Lap, here with trainer Tommy Woodcock, was the New Zealand "wonder horse" of the 1920s and 1930s. "Big Red", as he was familiarly known, was the winner of the 1930 Melbourne Cup.

3. Who is Phar Lap? • Phar Lap was a New Zealand born racehorse of the 1920s and 1930s, he was considered a racing phenomenon worldwide. Phar Lap was foaled at Timaru, New Zealand, in October 1926. His sire was Night Raid and his dam was Entreaty. Standing at over 17 hands (170 cm/68 in) high, he was known as “Big Red” or “Red Terror” and established his reputation by winning 37 of the 51 races in which he was entered, including a consecutive winning sequence of 14 races in 1930-1931.

4. Why he was loved so much? • Phar lap was loved so much because he was a hero, a champion and he came at a time when he was needed most: The Great Depression. He was the horse that brought hope, joy, and pride to thousands of Australians; that is why his death came as such a shock. He was only 5 years old and was at the height of his game. Phar lap’s trainer, Harry Telford who stayed in Australia said: “He was an angel. A human being couldn’t have had more sense. I've never practiced idolatry, but I loved that horse. He was to come back to end his days in these paddocks. I wish to God he was coming back”. In Sydney and Melbourne the flags on many building flew at half mast. Reasons for death range from colic to arsenic poisoning, nobody really knows the answer. But everybody will always remember him as the beautiful big-hearted chestnut that he was.

5. Tommy Woodcock — Strapper/Trainer Born in 1905, Tommy Woodcock was apprenticed as a jockey at twelve, and although he was lean enough, it was clear by his late teens that he was growing too tall. Instead, he applied his placid nature and natural affinity with horses to the business of caring for them. Woodcock's placid nature made horses relate to him well. Trainer Harry Telford recognised Tom's particular affinity with Phar Lap and asked him to work as strapper to the horse full-time. Woodcock disagreed with Telford's tough training regime, preferring a gentler approach. He and Phar Lap soon formed such a close relationship that Phar Lap would take food from no one else. 'Bobby', as Tom nicknamed Phar Lap, always came first. Life must have been difficult for Mrs Woodcock. Even when they married, Tom could take no more than four days off. Phar Lap's trainer on the trip to America, Woodcock was heart-broken when the horse died. Returning to Australia, he was licensed as a horse trainer. He remained in this occupation until the age of 78. In 1979 Woodcock donated several of his own mementoes of Phar Lap to Museum Victoria. He died at Yarrawonga in 1985. Who was Tommy Woodcock?

6. "Phar Lap" the movie • Because Phar lap was such a magnificent horse his story was made into a movie starring “Tom Burlinson” as Tommy Woodcock and “Towering Inferno” played the role of Phar lap. They spent 6 weeks looking for a horse that resembled Phar lap, and finally found him. When Tommy Woodcock saw him he said the resemblance was amazing, his socks were right, his eyes were right and even his nature. “Phar lap” is not just a movie about an extraordinary horse, but about the effect he had on the people around him.

7. When Carbine won the Melbourne Cup some said nothing like it would ever be seen again, they were wrong. Phar lap proved that in 1930. To test him the handicapper gave him 9.12 ( 4.4kg ). Hoodlums in a car fired at him with a shotgun four days before the race, stable foreman Tommy Woodcock and his pony shielded him. With powerful strides and in the expert hands of Sydney jockey Jim Pike, the big chestnut swept to victory by 3 lengths from outsiders “Second Wind” and “Shadow King”. He won £9,229 for his owners, Harry Telford thanked Woodcock for saving his life. The Melbourne Cup

8. Owners/Trainers • Owned by David Davis, who bought him for 160 guineas (£168). His two most notable wins were the Melbourne Cup of 1930 and an international race—the Agua Caliente Handicap—in Tijuana, Mexico. The latter was held on March 20, 1932, and Phar Lap set a new track record. He was trained by HR Telford and then later by his strapper Tommy Woodcock.

9. Details • PHAR LAP: Means “Lightening” in Thai • RACE RECORD:51 starts: 37 wins, three seconds and two thirds • STAKEMONEY:£56,425, plus $US50,000 • BREEDING: Night Raid—Entreaty (by Winkie) • FOALED: Timaru, New Zealand, 4 October 1926 • DIED: Menlo Park, California, 5 April 1932 • OWNERS:DJ Davis & HR Telford • TRAINER:HR Telford • COLOUR: Chestnut (near red) • HEIGHT:17.1 hands • BIGGEST WINS: Agua Caliente Handicap; Melbourne Cup; AJC Derby; Victoria Derby; WS Cox Plate (twice) • RACE COLOURS: 1929–30 Red jacket, black and white hooped sleeves, red cap 1931–32 Red jacket, red and green hooped sleeves, black cap

10. The Legend • Phar lap was born in New Zealand in 1926, a chestnut gelding. At age two he was then shipped to Australia where he ran last in all his races. But he soon improved to win 37 races and place 5 times. • After setting new records in many of the races he ran, including the “Melbourne Cup” and “Cox's Plate” he was again shipped to Mexico were it was intended he run the Agua Caliente against America’s best horses. He started slowly but regained the field quickly as usual and went on to win by 2 lengths in the record time of 2:02:48 • Phar Lap died weeks after the event in San Francisco, aged only five years old, from unexplained causes that were rumoured to range from colic to arsenic poisoning. His body has been exhibited in the Museum of Victoria, Australia, since 1933. Agua CalientePhar Lap becomes an international hero with this win over Reveille Boy and Scimitar in the 1932 Agua Caliente Hcp

11. An Artist's Impression

12. Bibliography • Australian Women's Weekly November 24th 1982 • Encarta encyclopedia • Chronicle of Australia • http://www.eqiunenet.org/heroes/phar.html • http://melbourne.mueseum.vic.gov.au/exhibitions/exh_australia.asp

13. Who is Phar Lap? Why was he loved so much? Who was Tommy Woodcock? Who plays Tommy Woodcock in “Phar Lap”? Who plays Phar Lap in “Phar Lap”? What year did Phar Lap win the Melbourne Cup? How many hands tall is Phar Lap? What colour was he? Who was his sire & dam? What year did he die? Phar lap was a New Zealand born racehorse of the 1920’s-1930’s who was commonly known as “Big Red” or “Red Terror”. He was loved so much because he came at a time he was needed and brought hope, joy and pride to thousands of Australians. Tommy Woodcock was Phar Lap’s Strapper/Trainer Tom Burlinson played the part of Tommy Woodcock in the movie “Towering Inferno” played the part of Phar Lap in the movie Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup on November 4th 1930 Phar Lap was 17.1 hands tall He was a chestnut His sire was “Night Raid” and his dam was “Entreaty” Phar Lap died in 1932 Questions?