Phar Lap Reunion

Editorial

When: 16 September 2010 - 31 January 2011
Where: Melbourne Museum
Tickets: Entry included with museum ticket: Adult $8, Concession and Child (3-16 years) free entry.

In Depression-era Australia, nothing seized the Australian public's imagination like the amazing run of racetrack wins by the racehorse Phar Lap, known to his admirers as 'Big Red'.

Between September 1929 and March 1932, while the Great Depression was crushing spirits across the nation, Phar Lap broke records, winning an amazing 36 of the 41 races he ran over those three years. His spectacular triumph at the 1930 Melbourne Cup made the horse a household name; his sudden death in the USA in 1932 made him a legend.

In June 2008, forensic analysis by Museum Victoria experts confirmed that the champion racehorse had indeed ingested a lethal dose of arsenic hours before his death.

When Phar Lap died, numerous Australian institutions scrambled to get hold of his remains. Phar Lap's huge heart - weighing a remarkable 6.2 kg - went to the National Institute of Anatomy in Canberra; the skeleton went to the Dominion Museum in New Zealand; and the hide - the most prized part - went to the National Museum of Victoria in Melbourne.

Now, to mark the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup and the 80th anniversary of his historic Melbourne Cup win in 1930, Phar Lap's skeleton and hide are at last reunited at Museum Victoria. Also on view are Phar Lap's registration certificate, saddle and blanket, and (from October until late November) the 1888 Melbourne Cup trophy.

Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to see these important items of Australian racing history reunited at last.

Richard Watts, Citysearch