The story of Phar Lap has all the drama of a soap opera, a murder mystery all rolled into one.

Phar Lap was foaled in New Zealand in 1926 and mostly raced in Australia. He dominated Australian racing, winning major races such as The Melbourne Cup, two Cox Plates, The Futurity Stakes and an AJC Derby. In the final race of his career, he won the Agua Caliente Stakes in Mexico and broke the track record while doing so. He was victorious in 37 of 51 races.

Phar Lap was sired by Night Raid and Australian trainer Harry Telford persuaded American businessman David Davis to buy the colt at auction based on his pedigree. When the horse was purchased the partners thought they got the deal of a lifetime until the horse arrived. Phar Lap was gangly, his face covered in warts and he had an awkward gait. His first few races did nothing to impress his investors either. In his maiden race, he ran dead last and didn't win in any of his next three races to boot. But on April 27, 1929, Phar Lap won his first race at Rosehill. He ran second in The Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick and the racing community started treating him with respect.

Someone tried to shoot Phar Lap on a sunny morning in 1930, after a workout. Fortunately, they missed and that afternoon he won the Melbourne Stakes and only three days later, he won The Melbourne Cup. In 1930-31, Phar Lap put together 14 wins in a row.

On the morning of April 5, 1932, in Atherton, CA., Phar Lap was found in his stall in severe pain and feverish. Within several hours, he was dead. A necropsy revealed the horse's stomach and intestines were inflamed, leading many to believe he was deliberately poisoned. But there were alternative theories, including accidental poisoning from insecticide or just a stomach condition.

In 2006, Australian Synchrotron Research scientists concluded Phar Lap was poisoned with a large, single dose of arsenic, 30-40 hours before his death. The supporting theory was that the horse was killed on the orders of U.S. gangsters who feared the Melbourne Cup-winning champion would put a large dent in their illegal bookmaking operations. No evidence of this theory was ever found, however, and others still speculate it was an accidental poisoning.

But Australian veterinarian Percy Sykes believes deliberate poisoning didn't cause the death of Phar Lap. He said, "In those days, arsenic was quite a common tonic, usually given in the form of a solution. It was so common that I'd reckon 90% of the horses had arsenic in their system." The debate continues to this day and any definite answer or the source of the poisoning will likely never be determined.

My admiration and respect for Secretariat knows no bounds, and there have been many other great racehorses, Seabiscuit and Man-O-War among them. There is another horse most people in this country have never heard of, and he was a champion---Phar Lap. One of the things which made Phar Lap such a tremendous race horse was that his heart, like Secretariat's, was twice the size that of a normal racehorse.
Like Secretariat, Phar Lap was loved by a nation and was immortalized in a poem by Vivienne McCredie.

...Some names are so familiar
It’s easy to recall – Like Rising Fast and Kiwi,
and The greatest one of all for Phar Lap is synonymous
With all that’s brave and bold –
And little men can treasure all
The stories that are told.

When Phar Lap graced the turf, and won,
We Aussies felt elation –
We loved him, – so in death, he then
Was mourned by all the nation. ...