Phar Lap: From Turf Immortality To Museological Pioneer

The legend of Phar Lap is a tale which has capitavitated the Australian public in a
manner unlike any other sporting icon, as the ultimate underdog story providing the
working class Australian with a vicarious escape from the depths of of the Great
Depression. Subsequently setting the scene for a national icon to become a pillar of
public history, as the story was recounted and repackaged under numerous public
excerpts of the narrative. As the cultural narrative of ‘Big Red’s’ was first embedded in
Australian folklore through the addition of Phar Lap’s Taxidermy to the Melbourne
museum. In addition to this form of well publicised historical narrative, the history of
Phar Lap was mainstay in Australian culture, from the age old method of oral
storytelling, to famous poems and countless books recounting his life and
achievements. This includes Phar lap's story undergoing romanticised appropriation of
the life of the champion gelding through iconic cinema, cementing his place in
Australia’s national identity. However, these historical and public influences do not
define the true impact of Phar Lap's legacy. The exhibit of Phar Lap in the Melbourne
museum, standing since 1933 is undoubtedly a historical masterpiece, although on face
value the taxidermy may seem as simple as an impressively prepared hide of a
champion racehorse of a bygone era, this is fair assessment for initial impression of the
taxidermy. Although, the purpose of this research is to confute this notion of the Phar
Lap exhibit of being ‘just a dead horse’, through analysing and highlighting the broader
historical implications of the exhibit and the manner
in which it pioneered a new wave of museology.

The Significance of Thoroughbred racing in

Australia Pre- Phar Lap

The genesis of the sport of kings is dated back to its

known origins of Antiquity, during the Ancient Greek
Olympics with horse racing proving to be a
significantly influential sporting event dating back to
classical times1 (Refer to figure 1)2. Hence it was
seemingly inevitable that the sport would become
deeply embedded in western sporting culture,
eventually culminating in the popularisation and professionalism of the sport in post

1
Donald G Kyle, Sport And Spectacle In The Ancient World (Wiley Blackwell 2015). Pg 121-122.
2
Four-horse chariot ( tethrippon ) race. c . 410– 400 bce. The Trustees of the British Museum
 medieval Britain, subsequently transcending into
Colonial Australian culture.Thoroughbred racing
has long been a significant aspect of Australian
cultural identity, cementing itself as one of the
earliest forms of leisure and competition in early
colonial times.By the late 18th century professional
thoroughbred racing had been well established in
the U.K since the formation of the official
Newmarket Jockey Club in 1750 (this organisation
succeeded three centuries of of unregulated race
meetings and was formed to regulate the sport)3.

Subsequently, Colonial Australia eventually

followed this british trend, as the first official race
meetings were held in Sydney in 1810, therefore
establishing thoroughbred racing as Australia’s
oldest known organised competitive sport4. This
early inception of horse racing in Colonial
Australia was a critical facet of Australian identity,
a culturally significant activity deemed as
separate from the British crown. On the turn of
19th century, following the popularisation of
champion dual Melbourne Cup winner Carbine
(​whom was the 5th generation sire of Phar Lap, see figure
2)5​ helped propel major race meetings into the
sphere of iconic cultural events. By the time Phar
Lap was foaled on the 4th of October 1926 the
sport of thoroughbred racing and the iconic Melbourne cup carnival was an integral
facet of early Australian identity, this was showcased by a record official attendance of
118,8876 in addition to thousands of unofficial onlookers from Footscray Hill ​(refer to

3
Edward Lasker and Cynthia Lasker, Horse-Racing: (Saunders, Otley, and Co, 66, Brook Street, Hanover
Square, W 1863). Pg IV.
4
Andrew Lemon and Harold Freedman, The History Of Australian Thoroughbred Racing (Hardie Grant
Books 2008). Pg 7-9
5
Museum of Victoria, (Phar Lap 5 Generation Pedigree).www.
museumsvictoria.com.au/pharlap/facts/pedigree.asp
6
Maurice Cavanough and Meurig Davies, Cup Day: The Story Of The Melbourne Cup 1861-1960 (FW
Cheshire 1960).Pg 194.
figure 3)7. Thus setting the stage for Phar Lap to capture the public’s imagination
through awe inspiring performances across the next 6 years of his life.

Cultural Impact of Phar Lap’s racing career and

reception of his death

Phar Lap dominated Australian racing across his three

year career, compiling an impressive 37 wins from 51
starts including 13 group 1 victories.8 Although it was not
simply his dominance on the track which
led to the admiration of Phar Lap, as
champion thoroughbreds were seemingly
generational and had come and gone
throughout the years past. More
specifically, it was the hope which Phar
Lap represented for the downtrodden
working class of the great depression
which turned a talented stayer into a
national treasure. Phar Lap's purchase of
160 guineas on the 24th of January 1929 ​(Refer to figure 4)9 which in
accordance to the Reserve Bank of Australia inflation estimates is
equivalent to $12,000 AUD in 2014.10 To place this purchase price in
perspective, rival champion race horse of the same era Amounis was
purchased for 2500 guineas at the sales equating to approximately
$200,000 in 2014.11 The humble beginnings of Phar Lap being a colt
purchased for a small price, which was followed by a furious investor in
David.J.Davis who financed the deal to finally witness Phar Lap for the
first time on arrival as a lanky unassuming type covered in warts.12 This
initial encounter only augmented the ‘’rags to riches’’ nature of the
legend, a narrative which resonated deeply with the Zeitgeist of a
working class city in economic disarray. However, simply being a
7
Western Mail, 'The Melbourne Cup. Spearfelt Successful. A Record Attendance.' (2018). Pg 26.
8
Jill Barnard, Phar Lap (Published for the Museum of Victoria by Print and Pub Services Victoria (PPSV)
1991).
9
Annual New Zealand Thoroughbred Yearling Sales, 24th of January 1929, Trentham Racecourse NZ:
Museum Victoria collections
10
'Inflation Calculator | RBA' (Reserve Bank of Australia, 2018)
<https://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html> accessed 24 October 2018.
11
The Herald, 'Amounis To Retire' (1932).
12
Isabel Ray Carter, Phar Lap: The Story Of The Big Horse (Lansdowne 1971).
talented gelding purchased for a small price was not enough to captivate a nation, more
so it was Phar Lap's astounding record of 37 wins which propelled him to superstardom.
Although of all of Phar Lap's 37 wins, none was more culturally and nationally uniting
than his final race in America, the ideology of Phar Lap showcasing Australia’s sporting
prowess on the world stage created a sense of national pride in Phar Lap representing
Australia as a young growing country so nobly on the international stage ​(Refer to figure 5)
13
. Upon the shock news of of Phar Lap's death weeks after his triumph in the illustrious
Agua Caliente Handicap, the outcry of public grief was unlike anything ever witnessed
over a racehorse before, the enormity of the anguish is highlighted by a Weekly times
Article stating that ‘Jim Pike Grief Stricken At Phar Lap's Death’ in which Pike recalls
‘’almost fainting from grief and shock upon hearing the news’’ (​ Refer to figure 6)14.This

13
Weekly Times, 'Phar Lap' (1932).
14
Weekly Times, 'PIKE GRIEF-STRICKEN AT PHAR LAP's DEATH' (1932).
signified the symbolic importance of Phar Lap, what he represented to Australian culture
and how the revered thoroughbred went on to remarkably influence Australian history
after his untimely demise.

Phar Lap’s Great Unsung Triumph: The

Museum Icon and Museological Pioneer

The Phar Lap exhibit at the Melbourne

Museum is a pillar of Melbournian culture, as it
intertwines the passionate
sporting culture of
Melbourne, with the
working class struggles of
the transition from Colonial
Australia to Federation.
With the dynamics of the
Melbourne Museum
continuously evolving
through new exhibits, layouts and methods of public engagement,
the Phar Lap Exhibit remains unwavered in its popularity,
awe-inspiring nobility and defiance. This unassailable presence of
‘Big Red’ in the museum is emphasised by the continuous popularity
showcased by the large crowds which would flock to the taxidermy
in admiration and homage to the great horse (​ refer to figure 7)15​.
Although one must ask, what exactly is it that makes this taxidermy
so impressive and timeless? As well as, what is the historical
narrative of how a seemingly simple horse hide came to be a
revolutionary exhibit in the practice of museology?

Upon the arrival of Phar Lap’s taxidermy mount in the Melbourne

Museum in January 1933 crowds of horse racing faithful gathered
around the champion gelding to catch a glimpse of the horse which
captured their imagination like no other. However, the popularity and
fanfare centred around this exhibit tredded a fine line between
education and entertainment, a common conflict of interest within

15
Museums Victoria, 'Phar Lap On Display At The Old National Museum Of Victoria In Swanston Street,
Melbourne'
<https://museumsvictoria.com.au/pharlap/museum/mn008095.asp?URL=/pharlap/museum/index.asp>
museology. This reception illustrated the manner in which the public revered the Phar
Lap exhibit as a site of Homage, memoriam and awe rather than that of an educative
experience posed some poignant question towards the integrity of an academic
institution such as a museum16. Consequently, the academic
community voiced their odium of the perceived uncultured nature
of the exhibit and the manner in which it was attracting an
unfavourable crowd deemed ill fitting of a distinguished educational
institution. This disapproval was penned in a number of Letters to
the editor in The Age (1937) stating that the exhibit is not fitting of
museums academic prerogative in writing ‘ I contend that a
museum is not the proper place to exhibit a racehorse, more
especially when it is known of the direct harm that it is doing in a
cultural sense to the people of this State’’​ (Refer to figure 8)​.17 As the
a conflict of interest between academia and what Phar Lap was
perceived to represent (Gambling, delinquency and an uncultured
working class hero). Subsequently, catalysing an intense debate
on whether Phar Lap aligned with artistic and scholarly
expectations of museums in the late 19th and early 20th century
pertained itself to an upper class audience.18 The debate arose as
the museums initial intentions for the presentation and purpose of
the Phar Lap exhibit were neglected by the visitors specifically
attending to see Phar Lap. With the intention of the curator being
to represent Phar Lap in a noble scientific light, as a paragon of
thoroughbred breeding in the sport of kings, an exhibit fitting of a
distinguished institution such as the State Museum19. Nonetheless,
Melbournians and the Australian public alike were the historians in
this specific case, as Phar Lap represented the pinnacle of social
history and showcased the power of public history to mould folklore and cultural
narratives such as the story of Phar Lap. The working class public had no concern of
the biological achievements of thoroughbred breeding, rather they yearned for a place
of memory, to relive the emotions and pay their respects to an idol of their time. Thus
representing an early example of the theories of ‘new museology’ with a refined focus
on creating an experience which transcends class, academic expertise and interests;
instead focusing on facilitating an interaction such as that seen with Phar Lap, an

16
Murray G Phillips, Representing The Sporting Past In Museums And Halls Of Fame (Taylor and Francis
2013).
17
The Age, 'Art Or Phar Lap?' (1937). ‘Culture’
18
The Age, 'Art Or Phar Lap' (1837). ‘True Nature’
19
‘D.V. Mahony, letter to H. Telford’ [April 7 1932] in Phar Lap File 1: 1932– 1939 , Museum Victoria,
Melbourne.
experience of reminiscence and emotions, accompanied by the many educational
facets of an exhibit20. Whilst the quasi-worship directed towards Phar Lap may seem in
its own way cliche and somewhat uncultured in the eyes of some, it changed the
cultural dynamics of the national museum, as it attracted a diverse crowd to engage
with the memories of the past, truly being a democratic gathering for history, directed by
the public and fostered by the curator. In stark contrast to the traditional curator
standards in which history was constructed and presented solely at the discretion of the
museum and the curator.

Phar Lap’s Museological Influence Through A Broader Scope

Phar Laps museological influence stretches far beyond that of the parameters of the
Victorian Museum, as the Melbourne Museums alteration of Phar Lap’s exhibit from that
of a scientific demonstration of equine breeding to a hub of periodic social history
surrounding the historical narrative of Phar Lap was a critical change in the context of
public history (​ refer to figure 9)21​. This change of attitude towards the value of social history
in Museums encouraged institutions to add an extra dimension to the level engagement
between visitor and exhibition. As facilitating public engagement in historical spaces
such as museums is a critical aspect of public history, this is clearly illustrated in Kevin
Moores extensive research in the field of public history and sporting culture in
museums, in which he advocates for the multifaceted nature of the experience provided
to visitors as consumers of public history. More specifically, the benefit of such an
experience lies in the various manners in which the visitor can interact with a sporting
artefact, as memories, emotions, social dynamics reflected by the sporting era,
reminiscence and multisensory engagement all contribute to catering to a more rounded
museum experience22. In alignment with this transition of Phar Lap’s exhibition was the
‘new wave of museology’23 which served the practice of public history, an approach
which is strongly linked to the increasingly growing influence of popular sporting culture,
recognising the manner in which it can provide historical perspectives on sporting
culture, social history, politics and cultural change through the common medium of
sport.

20
Rasmussen, A Museum for the People. Pg 233-234.
21
'Phar Lap A True Legend' <https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whats-on/phar-lap/>
22
Kevin Moore, 'Sport History, Public History, And Popular Culture: A Growing Engagement' (2018) 40
Journal of Sport History. Pg 15-17.
23
David Carr, 'The New Museology. Peter Vergo' (1991) 61 The Library Quarterly.
Overall, the significant influence of Phar Lap as a sporting hero, national icon and
museological pioneer cannot be understated. As his uncanny ability to capture the
hearts and minds of a nation in a sporting and historical sense is unparalleled to any of
the great sporting conquests Australia has witnessed over the years. However, it was
the manner in which taxidermy altered the course of public history and museological
practices throughout the last century which cements his cultural significance as a
standard bearer of the power and influence of public history in Australian Sport.

References
Barnard J, Phar Lap (Published for the Museum of Victoria by Print and Pub Services
Victoria (PPSV) 1991)

Carr D, 'The New Museology. Peter Vergo' (1991) 61 The Library Quarterly

Carter I, Phar Lap: The Story Of The Big Horse (Lansdowne 1971)

Cavanough M Davies, Cup Day: The Story Of The Melbourne Cup 1861-1960 (FW
Cheshire 1960)

'Inflation Calculator | RBA' (Reserve Bank of Australia, 2018)

<https://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html> accessed 24 October 2018

Kyle D, Sport And Spectacle In The Ancient World (Wiley Blackwell 2015)

Lasker EC Lasker, Horse-Racing: (Saunders, Otley, and Co, 66, Brook Street, Hanover
Square, W 1863)

Lemon AH Freedman, The History Of Australian Thoroughbred Racing (Hardie Grant

Books 2008)

Moore K, 'Sport History, Public History, And Popular Culture: A Growing Engagement'
(2018) 40 Journal of Sport History

Museums Victoria, 'Phar Lap On Display At The Old National Museum Of Victoria In
Swanston Street, Melbourne'
<https://museumsvictoria.com.au/pharlap/museum/mn008095.asp?URL=/pharlap/muse
um/index.asp> accessed 24 October 2018

'Phar Lap A True Legend'

<https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whats-on/phar-lap/> accessed 25
October 2018

Phillips M, Representing The Sporting Past In Museums And Halls Of Fame (Taylor and
Francis 2013)

The Age, 'Art Or Phar Lap' (1837)

The Age, 'Art Or Phar Lap?' (1937)

The Herald, 'Amounis To Retire' (1932)

Weekly Times, 'Phar Lap' (1932)

Weekly Times, 'PIKE GRIEF-STRICKEN AT PHAR LAP's DEATH' (1932)

Western Mail, 'The Melbourne Cup. Spearfelt Successful. A Record Attendance.' (2018)