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Phar Lap: The Story of Australia's Greatest Ever Racehorse
Every champion Australian racehorse since 1930 has been called 'the best since the Phar Lap'. So will the next record breaker, because Phar Lap captured the imagination of the sporting public like no other thoroughbred ever has or ever will. This was in part because of his remarkable backstory, featuring a battling trainer named Harry Telford and a knockabout young strapper, Tommy Woodcock, who built a relationship with Phar Lap that was second to none. It was also because of the mysteries that surrounded the legendary horse. Did gangsters really try to shoot him on the eve of the Melbourne Cup? Who or what killed Phar Lap?
This revised and updated edition has all the answers. It explains why the horse cost a pittance as a yearling, was a laughing-stock when it first raced, but became unbeatable. The racing authorities tried to stop him; the desperate punters of the Great Depression loved him. The book also presents a fresh look at the controversies, reaffirming that there were no bullets in the gun and that neither the Americans nor arsenic were responsible for his death.
As Winx was winning 33 races straight from 2015 to 2018, everyone kept asking: 'Could she have beaten Phar Lap?' Here, the authors compare the two Immortals from every angle, setting up the ultimate match race.
This revised and updated edition has all the answers. It explains why the horse cost a pittance as a yearling, was a laughing-stock when it first raced, but became unbeatable. The racing authorities tried to stop him; the desperate punters of the Great Depression loved him. The book also presents a fresh look at the controversies, reaffirming that there were no bullets in the gun and that neither the Americans nor arsenic were responsible for his death.
As Winx was winning 33 races straight from 2015 to 2018, everyone kept asking: 'Could she have beaten Phar Lap?' Here, the authors compare the two Immortals from every angle, setting up the ultimate match race.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2002
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109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 7, 2017
Phar Lap's story was a moving one, and a tragic one. It's a pity his story is so often overlooked and forgotten in American media, when he was undoubtedly one of the greatest Thoroughbreds ever to race. He certainly belongs up there with the other immortals named in lists of all-time greats.
And, despite being Australian (well, technically, a New Zealander, but Australia was where he raced), he even counts because he raced in North America once. It would've undoubtedly been a tour de force if he hadn't died.
Much like Sysonby before him, he never really got to prove himself across the water, although that one race he did run was stellar. Running with a bleeding hoof, he still shattered the field.
I recommend this for any horse racing fan, for your knowledge of racing isn't complete without it. I recommend it for non-fans because Phar Lap's story is a good one, if sad, and worthwhile.
And, despite being Australian (well, technically, a New Zealander, but Australia was where he raced), he even counts because he raced in North America once. It would've undoubtedly been a tour de force if he hadn't died.
Much like Sysonby before him, he never really got to prove himself across the water, although that one race he did run was stellar. Running with a bleeding hoof, he still shattered the field.
I recommend this for any horse racing fan, for your knowledge of racing isn't complete without it. I recommend it for non-fans because Phar Lap's story is a good one, if sad, and worthwhile.
November 8, 2020
What an incredible horse Phar Lap was. How sad it is that he ended up being exploited as a part of the racing industry. His tragic death was due to greed as prize money and a cup was worth more to his owner than his life.
June 17, 2019
I wanted to read a riveting biography of whom some people argue was one of the greatest horses of all time; instead, I got a lesson in Australian betting. Phar Lap's races get short shrift here, with some getting nary a sentence. In between races, it's packed with wagering strategy. The book is riddled with Australian betting terminology - so much that it had me running to the glossary at the back of the book. "Bystanders who were watching the totalisator noticed the addition of 200 5/- units to the total, with the result that Phar Lap was showing a dividend of ₤1 12/-," read a section out of a newspaper. Huh?
The death of Phar Lap was the only chapter that got my undivided attention. Without the wagering info, it focused solely on what did and didn't cause the horse's untimely death. I just wish there was more writing like that.
The death of Phar Lap was the only chapter that got my undivided attention. Without the wagering info, it focused solely on what did and didn't cause the horse's untimely death. I just wish there was more writing like that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2020
3/4 finished, 3/4 knowledgeable about horse-racing. A solid book filled with interesting stories, including specifics of horse racing and multiple perspectives of life around Phar Lap.
The trouble is the missing 1/4 of knowledge. The author assumes the reader knows technical racing terms, or racing slang, terminology specific to horse-race gambling etc etc. Frankly, it drags the book down. The book is well written, but after the 20th reference to some obscure, unexplained gambling / racing terminology, without the courtesy of the slightest clue as to what it might mean.. well, I started to resent the author.
However, I am glad to be reading it, glad to have picked up this book. It is an enjoyable read, stretching beyond the horse into the issues that surrounded the era, the country, the breeding and the interesting worlds that surround serious horse racing.
The trouble is the missing 1/4 of knowledge. The author assumes the reader knows technical racing terms, or racing slang, terminology specific to horse-race gambling etc etc. Frankly, it drags the book down. The book is well written, but after the 20th reference to some obscure, unexplained gambling / racing terminology, without the courtesy of the slightest clue as to what it might mean.. well, I started to resent the author.
However, I am glad to be reading it, glad to have picked up this book. It is an enjoyable read, stretching beyond the horse into the issues that surrounded the era, the country, the breeding and the interesting worlds that surround serious horse racing.
November 4, 2018
This bio of Australia's most famous racehorse, & the mystery surrounding his death at the time, makes for excellent reading for those who are racing or just horse fans. We learn about the tragic death of his young one time rider, who was his biggest fan, as the result of a really nasty spill in the middle of a race. We learn about the feud between his trainer & his American half owner. We learn about the time Phar Lap was shot at walking to the track to practice. All in all it was a fascinating look at the personalities involved in the sport of Australian horse racing at the beginning of last century.
October 12, 2023
Really 3.5 stars with a half star kicker for primary source photos and documents.
Not really about Phar Lap, but about Australia’s love for the horse and the resultant legacy. As an American some of the vagaries of Aussie patois were lost on me, as were the oddly detailed minutiae of both racing odds, handicap weights, and a dazzling array of personalities. Perhaps for the Australian reader these are second nature, but much of it was lost on me.
I had been seeking this book for years. Sponsored by the Victoria Museum it is difficult to find. It has value as providing insight into Australian racing culture. But in the end I did not get a feeling for the horse, but for their trainers, jockeys, owners, and fans. But I wanted to know the horse, and this was not conveyed.
Excellent illustrations and source material. Maps and some track plans would have fleshed this aspect of it out perfectly.
Not really about Phar Lap, but about Australia’s love for the horse and the resultant legacy. As an American some of the vagaries of Aussie patois were lost on me, as were the oddly detailed minutiae of both racing odds, handicap weights, and a dazzling array of personalities. Perhaps for the Australian reader these are second nature, but much of it was lost on me.
I had been seeking this book for years. Sponsored by the Victoria Museum it is difficult to find. It has value as providing insight into Australian racing culture. But in the end I did not get a feeling for the horse, but for their trainers, jockeys, owners, and fans. But I wanted to know the horse, and this was not conveyed.
Excellent illustrations and source material. Maps and some track plans would have fleshed this aspect of it out perfectly.
May 20, 2024
I'm glad to have got to know this beautiful, big-hearted Red Terror from Down Under. What a wonderfully courageous, athletic racehorse he was. It's proving impossible just now to find the movie formatted for Region 1 but I shall persevere. Although the book is written with many difficult Aussie slang words (for the non-native) and focuses rather too heavily on the odds-making and betting, I recommend this book as a well-researched and well presented guide to the Australian Wonder Horse Phar Lap.
April 22, 2021
This updated edition describes Phar Lap's racing career from start to the tragic end in America, and has a section at the back with the most popular horses that have won the Melbourne Cup, including Makybe Diva and Winx.
There is also a glossary of the common racing industry terms.
There is also a glossary of the common racing industry terms.
April 26, 2024
3.5. Thorough and well-researched. I did not understand the Australian terms at times and it went deeper into the betting side than I expected.
May 15, 2012
This horse was amazing
July 9, 2012
I bought this book on ebay from Australia. Phar Lap was an extraordinary horse. It even discussed some possibilities for Phar Lap's death and which one was most likely.
January 31, 2016
It reads more like a story of betting on Phar Lap than it does like a story of Phar Lap.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews