Search the collections
Refine your search
Filter results by item type
Phar Lap Collection
Image: Scrapbook - Phar Lap
Source: Museum Victoria
The Melbourne Museum has been the home of Phar Lap, since his mounted hide first went on permanent display in January 1933. He immediately became one of the Museum's most popular exhibits and has continued to draw the fascination of visitors over the decades since, becoming one of the most significant historical icons in any Australian Museum.
The Museum also holds an important collection of over 350 items of racing equipment and memorabilia relating to Phar Lap, including race programmes, winner's sashes, saddles, horseshoes, horse rugs, jockey's silks, a whip and other items collected by his owners and carers during his working life. Since the late 1980s, the Museum has activevly developed the collection to further document the social and historical context of Phar Lap's career and the enduring public interest in the horse since his tragic death at the height of the Great Depression. Included in the later category is an extensive archive of documents and photographs, examples of publicity materials produced by the Museum featuring Phar Lap, and a range of commercial and homemade souvenirs and memorabilia reflecting people's ongoing fascination with his story.
Highlights of the collection include the following:
- Phar Lap's mounted hide, taxidermy specimen prepared by Jonas Brothers, New York, in 1932
- Catalogue of the Annual New Zealand Thoroughbred Yearling Sales, 24 Jan 1928, at which Phar Lap was sold for 160 guineas
- Certificate of Registration of Racehorse, issued for Phar Lap, 3 December 1928
- Tommy Woodcock's suitcase, in which the strapper stored equipment & memorabilia relating to his beloved Phar Lap for 50 years, before donating it to Museum Victoria
- Harry Telford's tonic book, used during the 1930s when he was trainer and part-owner of Phar Lap
- Jockey's silks & cap owned by trainer Harry Telford, used on Phar Lap in 36 races from 1929-1931
- Tommy Woodcock's horse brush & whip, used while caring for Phar Lap
- Presentation sashes awarded to Phar Lap for his win in the VRC Derby, 2 November 1929, and three other races
- Training saddle worn by Phar Lap during trackwork, early 1930s
- Framed photograph of Phar Lap winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup, from the family of Harry Telford
- Billy Elliot's Phar Lap Saddle used by jockey William Elliot in Phar Lap's final races
- Pair of horseshoes for the Agua Caliente Handicap, Mexico, worn by Phar Lap during his final race in March 1932
- Horse rug worn by Phar Lap at the time of his death at Menlo Park, California, 5 April 1932
- Dozens of sympathy letters sent to Harry Telford by adoring fans and supporters following Phar Lap's death
- Scrapbook of newspaper and magazine clippings, compiled between 1930-1990 by Marie Davie, one of the many fans who became a lifelong devotee of Phar Lap.
Related Stories:
Phar Lap, Champion Race Horse (1926-1932)
Harry Telford, Race Horse Owner & Trainer (1877-1960)
Tommy Woodcock, Race Horse Strapper & Trainer (1905-1985)
David Davis, Entrepreneur & Race Horse Owner
Jim Pike, Jockey (1892-1969)
Phar Lap in America, 1932
Related Resources:
Phar Lap - the Story of Australia's Wonder Horse
Phar Lap Infosheet
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 1 - 10) 252 items
-
Medal - Museum of Victoria, Phar Lap, Silver, 1983 (AD)
This silver-plated bronze souvenir medal is an example of the Phar Lap related merchandise sold in the Museum of Victoria shop in the 1980s.
Images: 2 -
Medal - Museum of Victoria, Phar Lap, Bronze, 1983 (AD)
This bronze-coloured metal souvenir medal is an example of the Phar Lap related merchandise sold in the Museum of Victoria shop in the 1980s.
Images: 2 -
Printers Proof - Sporting Globe, Phar Lap Collage, 1930s
Printers proof consisting of three various sized photographs of Phar Lap, glued onto a sheet of thick cardboard, with text handwritten in pencil. It is believed that this is a mock-up ...
Images: 1 -
Poster - The Herald Newspaper Front Page, 04 Nov 1930
Alternative Name(s): Reproduction poster - Phar Lap's 1930 Melbourne Cup This poster was given away as a freebie at the opening of the 1993 Museum of Victoria exhibition `Phar Lap ... ...
Images: 1 -
Drawing - Les Mason, Phar Lap Winning the 1929 Rosehill Guineas, 1932
This drawing was of Phar Lap winning the Rosehill Guineas in Sydney in 1929 was done by Les Mason. He attended the race, and drew this from memory three years later in 1932, after Phar ...
Images: 1 -
Newspaper Supplement - Sporting Globe, Melbourne Cup, 1939
This A3 sized newspaper supplement was issued with the Sporting Globe on October 25th, 1939, to promote the upcoming Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Images: 1 -
Newspaper Cutting - The Sun, 'How Phar Lap Died, Cardigan's Story', 22 May 1932
This newspaper cutting, from the Sunday Sun newspaper, contains the second part of an article about Phar Lap's death, particularly a theory about it by horse racing journalist `Cardigan ...
Images: 1 -
Folder - `Phar Lap: The Wonder Horse', Henschke Primary School, Wagga Wagga, 1999
Cardboard folder hand made and decorated by the Year 3F students at Henschke Primary School, Wagga Wagga, NSW in 1999. Sent to the Museum in 1999 by the class's teacher, who thought th ...
Images: 1 -
Calendar - Spicers Paper, Australian Sporting Legends, 1993
This twelve page 1993 wall calendar was designed and produced in Melbourne, and depicts 20th Century Australian sporting personalities. The page for November includes a photograph of a ...
Images: 1 -
Newspaper Cutting - Daily Telegraph, Tragic Last Post for Mighty Phar Lap, 07 Apr 1932
This newspaper cutting, from the Daily Telegraph newspaper, contains a front page story about the death of Phar Lap, including a large photograph of Phar Lap and jockey racing. It is pa ...
Images: 2
