Tales From Te Papa - Phar Lap

Phar Lap — the pavlova of the equine world — is the subject of this episode in a series looking at some of Te Papa’s holdings. Bred and trained in New Zealand, the champion racehorse spent most of his career in Australia, before dying in suspicious circumstances in California. He is regarded as a national treasure on both sides of the Tasman. Phar Lap's fate reflects those claims, with his skeleton at Te Papa, his hide in Melbourne and his heart in Canberra. This mini-doco backgrounds Phar Lap’s life and includes some of the scarce footage available of him in action.

The only way they’re going to beat Phar Lap over there is if they breed a horse with wings and get Kingsford-Smith to ride him.

– Jockey Jim Pike (before Phar Lap's trip to America)

Key Cast & Crew

Thomas Robins

Director

Chris Paulin

Subject

Simon Morton

Presenter