PHAR LAP DEAD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 107, 6 April 1932, Page 7

PHAR LAP DEAD

END OF WONDER HORSE. SUCCUMBS TO INTERNAL COMPLAINT. OWNERS’ SEVERE LOSS. (United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Extraordinary.) Received April 6, 11.50 a.m. SAN FRANCISCO, April 5. The famous racehorse Phar Lap died from colic at Mr E. Perry’s stock farm near Menlo Park, California, to-day. Phar Lap was being prepared in California for the Tanforan Handicap, to bo run later in tho rnortk. on tlio Tanforan traek, California. It is a handicap of 5000 soys, and tho distanco is a mile and a quarter. Mention of the tentative plans that had been made for the famous racehorse appears on page 10. PHAR LAP’S HOOF TROUBLE. A cable message received yesterday stated that Phar Lap had hoof trouble and that an operation had been performed. Another message from New York received this morning stated, according to tho trainer, Woodcock, that the horse had a slight split in one lioof, and the operation was to clean and trim the split, where dirt had gathered in it.

WORLD INTEREST. HIS WONDERFUL SUCCESSES. THE MEANING OF “PHAR LAP.” Writing of Phar Lap after liis magnificent success in the Agua Cahento Handicap, a southern scribe penned tho following:— The phenomenal Phar Lap, tlie world’s best-advertised horse and a, freak racehorse, has made his first effort in a new world, and gathered additional laurels to those gained by past prowess. His deeds in Australia attracted world-wide attention, and the now famous Night Raid gelding is the first horse really to rock Carbino on the pedestal ho has occupied for close on half a century. All sorts of comparisons have been made between the racing merits of Carbine and Pliar Lap, and they are still in fruitless debate, and will remain so, because the conditions under which a raco is now run and those that existed in Carbine’s day are totally different. It isalso a shallow-thinking idea to measure a horse’s merit by the amount of stakes won. Their value has changed in just about tho same ratio as that in which the method of running a race has during tho past half century. During his five years on the turf Carbine won 29,47650 vs in stakes, and over the same period Phar Lap won 56,44050v5. Carbine’s Melbourne Cup was worth 10,080sovs to the winner, and Phar Lap’s 942950v5. Phar Lap has won more races than Carbino, but the latter had far more really stalwart opponents than the Night Raid gelding had to tackle in Australia. Phar Lap was practically unbeatable at. weight-for-age, but Carbine met and defeated opponents who in turn beat him at the same scale of weights. No comparison can be mado between the two horses from a stake point of view, and racing merit reads in favour of the son of Musket and Mersey. They have one thing in common, and that is the fact that they rank as “freaks of a family.” Mersey did produce Carnage, as well as Carbine, but tho rest of her foals were nonentities in both the racing and breeding world. There is still hope for Phar Lap’s dam, but it would bo expecting too much for her to produce another equal to him. REMARKABLE RECORDS.

There is no doubt that Pliar Lap is a great racing freak, and one of the greatest gallopers the world has ever known. He has made hacks of goodclass horses, and has put up some remarkable records in his races. When Pliar Lap won the Randwick Plate he ran the first half mile in 49see, seven furlongs in 1.24; nine furlongs in 1.51, 10 lurlongs in 2.4 J, one mile and a half in 2.28 J, 13 lurlongs in 2.40 J, one mile and three-quarters in 2.54, and two miles in 3.20 J. He won the A.J.C. Derby in 2.311, hut this is not a great deal faster than what Noctuiform put up in the same race. Noctuiform won in 1905 in 2.32 J, and was one of the first horses in Australia to be taken to the front and win all the way. Noctuiform knocked seconds off the race record, and Hewitt also did the same with Alaniopoto when he won the Metropolitan at Randwick. Prior to that Hewitt bolted away with the Now Zealand Cup on Grand Rapids in 1904, and he was the first to revolutionise race riding in both Australia and New Zealand, and completely alter the method of running a race just as Sloan did in England. These comparisons are necessary because they can not be made with those put up prior to the arrival of Sloan on the scene with his meteoric career on the English turf. Sloan also introduced another great factor in the compilation of time in a race by reducing wind-pressure to a minimum. The riders m Carbine’s day presented about 75 per cent, more body to wind pressure than the pre-sent-day riders. The effect of wind pressure is recognised by the construction of record-breaking motor cars in which it is reduced to an absolute minimum. This fact has never been fully appreciated in most of the discussions about Carbine and Pliar Lap. If the wind can propel it can also retard. Pliar Lap started liis American campaign with all the best wishes of sportsmen in New Zealand, where he was foaled. Looking at it from a commercial point of view Pliar Lap means much to this country. New Zealand has already contributed some valuable bloodstock to America, and if Pliar Lap can emulate Eclipse and always make himself first and the rest nowhere then the multi-millionaires so common in that part of the world will be anxious to locate another equine gold mine in the land of his birth and breeding. The American record for a mile and a-quarter is held by Whisk Broom H at 2min, put up in 1913 wlreircarrying 9.13. Top Gallant put up the same time in England at Newmarket in 1923, and was afterwards imported to Australia. Pliar Lap won in 2min 3sco at Randwick in 1930, and Winning Hit at Riccarton in 2min 3 1-5 sec. Bronze Eagle won the Stead Gold Cup in November last in 2min 2 4-ssoc. CINGALESE FOR LIGHTNING. Phar Lap, whose name is Cingalese for lightning, was bred in Canterbury by the late .Mr A. F. Rolierts, being by Night Raid from Entreaty, by Winkic from Prayer Wheel, by Pilgrim’s Progress from the .Maxim mare Catherine Wheel, and when an ordinary looking gelding he was sold at Trentham for 100 guineas. Since then he has been trained in Australia

by the ex-Ncw Zealander, H. R. Telford, in whose name he did his early racing on lease from Mr D. J. Davis, thougli later they have figured as tho joint owners. it was not until he was a three-year-old that Pliar Lap blossomed as a good horse. Since then ho Iras continued to hold the central position on tho Australian racing stage. All distances seem alike to this wonderful galloper, whoso performances have caused him to be described by warm admirers as the greatest horse ever seen in Australia, though there are adherents of Carbine who challenge this claim. As a four-year-old he won tho. Melbourne Cup under 9.12 and last November ho essayed the great feat of winning again, carrying 10.10. Ho failed, but it was no disgrace to be beaten with such a weight. Shortly afterwards, arrangements were made to race him in America, but before being shipped abroad he spent a few weeks at Trentham.

, The impressions which tho late Edgar Wallace formed of the Agua Caliente track indicate somo of the conditions under which racing is conducted. “Tho track is oval, a mile round,” wrote Mr Wallace in an English ne.vspaper. “Tho horses are started out of shoots —stalls placed light across the course or just off tho track, one horse being in each stall. There is an attendant to every horse io bring him up to the barrier. Ho stands before the horse, and is protected by the width of the stall. It is not a good method of starting. In one race there was a delay of 15 minutes. They do not exactly break through the barrier, because the tapes are too high, so liign that they just miss the jockey’s head, and aro designed rather as a signal than as a barrier. Alter the post is passed the horses do not return to the paddock, but to tho front of the stand, where an attendant in white uniform is waiting for each horse. Apparently it is tho practice for the jockey to surrender his whip before ho leaves the saddle, and when they come up in a bunch before the judge’s stand the air is full of flying whips. There is one admirable feature of racing at Caliento which might bo copied with advantage. While a race is in progress, the judge broadcasts a description, and keeps up a running commentary on the position of tho horses. This is relayed to loud-speakers, so that, even if you cannot see a race or cannot read one, you know exactly what is happening at every stage.” PHAR LAP’S EARNINGS. A SPLENDID RECORD. SUN BEAU’S FIGURES NOT ECLIPSED. When tho American horse Sun Beau retired in October last, he brought to a termination five seasons of active racing during which time he contested 74 races. On 33 occasions he gained first place, finished second sn 12, and third in 10, for a Total stake earnings of 370,744 dollars, which at tho then par of exchange was equivalent to £75,348. When Phar Lap went to America and prevailed‘at his first appearance at Agua Caliente, great hopes were entertained by Australians and New Zealanders that the Night Raid gelding would prove capable of setting a fresh world’s record, and the report from San Francisco that Phar Lap lias died from colic comes as a distinct shock owing to its very, unexpectedness. A cable had informed us that a delicate operation had been perlormed'on liis hoof, but there was no information bearing on the illness whach has brought to an abrupt close a potential world’s record holder. However, Phar Lap has died leaving a wonderful record, indeed, save the volume of stake money won it outrivals that of Sun Beau. Whereas Sun Beau had 74 starts for 33 wins, Pliar Lap had but 61 starts for 37 firsts. His completed record is as under :

Pliar Lap’s record indicates that he was required to raco for smaller stakes than Sun Beau was in his native land, hut tho New Zealander proved himself to be no mean performer by capturing no less.than £66,450 in stake money during his five years of racing. The returns mado to liis owners during his career (including the Agua Caliente Handicap) were:— £ At two-years 182 At three-years 26,814 At four-years 24,666 At five-years 14,788 £60,450

At two-years 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Unpl. .. 1 — — 4 At three-years . .. 13 1 2 4 At four-years .. .. 14 2 — — At five-years .... .. 9 — — 1