Adorning a wall of the Betting Ring at Flemington Racecourse are the racing colours of a select few Melbourne Cup winning horses. With 159 Melbourne Cup races run so far, there are 153 horses that have stopped two nations on the first Tuesday in November. The 28 horses featured on the wall here each have unique attributes, their reason for being featured. On every tour we stop to take a look at them but there is a lot to discuss and not every guest is deeply interested so we usually only cover the basics of the more prominent names on display.

We wanted to delve a bit deeper though, to provide the information for those who are interested in learning more about these horses and what makes them worthy of being remembered in this way.

The order of appearance from left to right also coincides with the chronological order in which each horse won their Melbourne Cup/s. Our descriptions will follow the same order.

Phar Lap

*Winner of the 1930 Melbourne Cup. Trained by Harry Telford. Ridden by Jim Pike.*

It is hard to imagine that anyone living in Australia or New Zealand has never heard of Phar Lap. Presuming that to be the case, this is a crash course for our international visitors who aren’t quite so familiar with the name, the horse, the legend… With maybe a few random titbits thrown in to keep the locals interested.

The chestnut Phar Lap was foaled on 4th October 1926, in Timaru on New Zealand’s South Island. His sire was a stallion imported from Great Britain called Night Raid. His dam, Entreaty, was born in New Zealand.

Phar Lap never raced in New Zealand, he was purchased (for the bargain price of 160 guineas) by auction at the yearling sales and brought to Australia to race by Sydney based trainer Harry Telford. The gentleman who’d paid for the horse had done so at the recommendation of the trainer and had never actually seen the colt until his arrival in Sydney. David Davis, an American businessman, wasn’t impressed with what he did see – a gangly, wart covered colt with a clumsy gait. Thus, Davis refused to pay for him to be trained and Telford agreed to train the colt for free so long as he received two-thirds of any winnings. Davis thought so little of the young horse, that he agreed. Telford saw more in the young horse than just his lineage, but decided to geld him despite the promise of future earnings as a stud. Telford named him Phar Lap, which literally translates to sky flash in Thai, or lightning; although he did alter the spelling to accommodate his superstitions.

In addition to his racing colours in the Betting Ring, Flemington Racecourse honoured Phar Lap with a statue. Sculpted in 1988 by Peter Corlett who is behind many popular sculptures throughout Melbourne and Australia, including the statue of Bart Cummings from Part 1 of this series..

Phar Laps first races took place in 1929. He was a slow bloomer though, winning only one race in his first 9, leaving 8 unplaced. It wasn’t until the Spring when his potential starting to reveal itself, earning him many fans along the way. He placed second in his tenth race and then won the next 4 races on his way to the 1929 Melbourne Cup. Phar Lap finished third in the 1929 Melbourne Cup four lengths behind the winner Nightmarch, who was Phar Laps older half-brother, they came from the same sire, Night Raid.

In his next race three months later, on 15 February 1930, Phar Lap again finished third in the St George Stakes at Caulfield. He raced 17 more times between his first Melbourne Cup and his next, winning 16 and taking one 2nd place. By the time the Melbourne Cup rolled around, Phar Lap was 8-11 favourite to win it. Not even an attempt on his life could slow him down! The morning of Derby Day, he was shot at from the backseat of a passing car. Thanks to the quick thinking of his strapper, Tommy Woodcock, the shot did not reach its target. That very afternoon Phar Lap won the Melbourne Stakes. He spent the next three days of the lead up to the Melbourne Cup in hiding, just in case a second attempt was made.

In a field of 15 horses, after only 2 were scratched, Phar Lap was given a weight of 9 stone 12 pound or 62.6 kilos to carry. The next nearest handicap was Second Wind who carried 1 stone (6.35kg) less. Despite the weight penalty, Phar Lap proved the bookmakers right and won the 1930 Melbourne Cup by three lengths and in the time of 3 minutes and 27.75 seconds. Second Wind finished in second place with Shadow King taking third place ¾ of a length behind him. Phar Lap became the shortest odds winner in Melbourne Cup history, a record he still holds.

*Pratt, C., & Airspy. (1930). Phar Lap [picture]. Source: State Library of Victoria.*

Phar Lap became the first horse to have raced and won on each of the four days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. To this day, no other horse has done so. More staggering, Phar Lap won 8 races (from 8 starts) over a 5-week period. No other horse has done that either. He also won the W S Cox Plate in 1930 and again in 1931 but weighted with 10 stone and 10 pounds (68kgs), he finished 8th in the 1931 Melbourne Cup. If he had won, he would have broken Carbines weight record.

By this time, Mr Davis had come around to the gangly horse who had raised the hopes of two nations during the Great Depression and wanted to see how the horse would fare in his own home country, USA. Although now part-owner of Phar Lap, Telford was against the idea and refused to go. Davis instead took Phar Laps strapper Tommy Woodcock along as his new trainer.

Phar Lap travelled by boat to Tijuana, Mexico and was entered in the Agua Caliente Handicap at the Agua Caliente Racetrack. The 10-furlong (2000 kilometre) Agua Caliente Handicap was offering the largest prize money ever seen in North American horse racing. One of Phar Laps regular riders, Billy Elliott, made the journey to ride the gelding for the seventh time, this time on the world stage. On 20 March, 1932, weighted with 9 stone 3 pounds (58.51kg), Phar Lap and Elliott set a track record while winning the race. This feat surprised absolutely no one back home in the Antipodes. Following this first success in North America, Davis transported Phar Lap to California with hopes of entering him in races throughout the nation.

On 5 April 1932, strapper-now-trainer Tommy Woodcock entered Phar Laps Californian stable to find his charge in severe pain and running a temperature. A few hours later Phar Lap had bled to death in Woodcocks arms. An autopsy later revealed signs that he had been poisoned to death. In 2008, scientists tested hairs from Phar Laps mane and confirmed that he had died from a lethal amount of arsenic. It was very common in Phar Laps day for horses to be given tonics for their health and performance and many of these tonics contained arsenic to thin the blood. Rumours and conspiracy theories abound to this very day but unfortunately, we will never know whether his death was an accident or deliberate sabotage.

At the time of his death, Phar Laps race record stood at 51 Starts for 37 wins, three 2nd places and two 3rd placings with 9 races unplaced. His winnings made him the Worlds third richest horse at the time.

Phar Lap is one of seven horses to win the WS Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup in the same year and one of only three horses to win the Melbourne Cup and follow it up with a Cox Plate the following year.

Following his death, Phar Laps remains were returned to the Southern Hemisphere. His hide was taxidermised and is one of the most popular exhibits at the Melbourne Museum. His skeleton can be viewed at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington. His heart, which was nearly twice as big as most horse hearts, is located at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.

Phar Lap will forever be remembered in the hearts of all Antipodeans. Not just for his impressive wins at the Melbourne Cup Carnival or the Agua Caliente Handicap but also for defeating some of Australia and New Zealand’s best horses, sometimes crushing them by 20 lengths while only running at half pace.

Peter Pan

*Winner of the 1932 Melbourne Cup ridden by Billy Duncan. Winner of the 1934 Melbourne Cup ridden by Darby Munro. Trained by Frank McGrath Snr on both occasions.*

Peter Pan was a stallion who was born at Baroona Stud in Singleton, NSW on 17 October 1929, sired by a British stallion name Pantheon and foaled by the Australian mare Alwina. He had an uncommon colouring known as flaxen chestnut; meaning the coat is chestnut with the mane and tail lighter in colour. In Peter Pans case the mane and tail were blond, almost silver, making him visually striking on any racetrack.

Born a few years too late to have raced alongside Phar Lap, the two have nonetheless been compared to one another many times. Both horses provided welcome distraction from the effects of the Depression. Both horses endured illness and hardship and still came out on top. Peter Pans owners were prone to comparing him to Phar Lap. His trainer Frank McGrath believed that, had they met, Peter Pan would have triumphed. You can make up your own mind.

Peter Pan raced once as a two-year-old, on 14 May 1932 over 6 furlongs (1200m) at Randwick, finishing twelfth. His next three races in the Spring were comfortable wins and provided entry to Melbourne’s Spring Racing carnival. Placing fourth in the Caulfield Cup, Peter Pan finished first in the Melbourne Stakes at Flemington only four days later. Two weeks later he started as 4-1 favourite in the Melbourne Cup.

Ridden by Billy Duncan, Peter Pan started the race near the back of the pack. Early on he clipped the heel of a horse in front of him and fell to his knees. Uninjured, he got back up and carried on running, chasing down the field and working his way to the front pack. Duncan found his mount a place on the rails as they rounded the final turn, a horse named Yarramba edged to the outside of a large pack. With two furlongs to go, both horses managed to break away from the packs surrounding them, Peter Pan on the inner rail and Yarramba on the outside and closing in on the rail. With half a furlong to go, Yarramba takes the lead but Peter Pan is having none of it and visibly picks up the pace to storm home, beating Yarramba to the finish line by a neck. Their next nearest competitor, Shadow King, was two lengths behind. When he entered the Winners Circle, Peter Pan had a visible grass stain on his face from his fall.

Peter Pan missed the entire 1933 spring season, suffering from a viral disease which had carried through the stables in and around Sydney. Many horses died from the disease but Peter Pan was personally nursed through by his trainer, Frank McGrath. Peter Pan lost 10 months of racing as a result of his illness, returning in the Autumn of 1934.

Once again, in 1934, Peter Pan won the Melbourne Stakes at Flemington in his lead-up to another Melbourne Cup. He’d been so impressive in the months leading up that he was given the highest weight and set to carry 9 stone 10 pounds (61.7kg). His prior illness and the handicap put the bookies off, his starting odds were 14-1.

In 1934, carrying more weight than last time and on a heavy track, Peter Pan won by 3 lengths. This would provide the first of 3 Melbourne Cup trophies for jockey Darby Munro. You can watch Peter Pan win his second Melbourne Cup here. Incidentally, the equal favourites Nightly and Sir Simper finished second last and last respectively.

The viral infection caught hold of Peter Pan again in the Autumn of 1935 but this time he never fully recovered. To honour his many fans, owner and trainer decided he would start in the 1935 Melbourne Cup. The VRC gave him another weight increase (now 10 stone 6 pounds) but he wasn’t fit enough to carry such a weight and finished in 15th place. He raced three more times the following Autumn and was unplaced in each. The decision was made to retire him. His record stood at 23 wins, six 2nd places, one 3rd place and 9 unplaced from 39 starts.

He was retired to Baroona Stud where he was born, in Singleton, New South Wales. His owner, Rodney Dangar, wasn’t very adventurous though and only allowed him to service Dangar’s own mares. Nevertheless, he produced 2 Stakes winners from 14 foals.

Six years later Peter Pan broke his leg quite badly in a paddock accident. As a result, he was put to rest on 5 May 1941, aged 12. He was buried on the farm and his grave is marked with a headstone which reads: “In Memory of Peter Pan. Foaled at Baroona October 17th 1929. Died at Baroona May 5th 1941. Winner of Two Melbourne Cups. 1932 and 1934. And 21 other races. A very gallant horse.”

Comic Court

Winner of the 1950 Melbourne Cup. Trained by Jim Cummings and ridden by Pat Glennon . — *Winner of the 1950 Melbourne Cup. Trained by Jim Cummings and ridden by Pat Glennon*.

Comic Court was a Bay Stallion and the great-grandson of the 1910 Melbourne Cup winner, Comedy King. He was foaled at Beau Neire Stud in Normanville, South Australia in 1945. His dam was Witty Maid and his sire was Powerscourt. Both his parents had been owned by Jim Cummings, who had been forced to sell them during World War II when racing was cancelled in Adelaide. It seems fitting that Jim Cummings became the trainer of their son.

Comic Court’s first attempt at the Melbourne Cup came in 1948. Ridden by Tom Unkovich, they placed fourth in a field of 30. His regular jockey was Jack Purtell, who rode Comic Court in the Melbourne Cup a year later, finishing 20th in a field of 31 horses. But Purtell chose to ride another horse, Alister, whom he’d ridden to success in the Derby and was now 3-1 favourite to win the 1950 Melbourne Cup.

Jim Cummings instead chose the tall and easy-going jockey Pat Glennon to ride Comic Court, whose gentle hands would cajole a horse rather than antagonize it. Despite staying out partying the night before until the early hours, Glennon was ready for his second Melbourne Cup ride, his first being in 1943 at the age of 16. Even with taking his first win at the age of 13, by 1950 and aged 23, Glennon was still considered to be too young and inexperienced to win a Melbourne Cup. He didn’t care what others thought and he soon proved it. Following the trainer’s instructions, Glennon listened to Comic Court and let the horse dictate his own terms. Comic Court wanted to be in the front pack right from the start; he got his way. Comic Court wanted the lead with half a mile to go and Glennon let him take it. At the home turn, Comic Court led by a length and a half. It’s pretty rare for a horse to lead the entire length of the home straight at Flemington and hold on but Comic Court was his own horse. When those behind expected him to weaken, he pushed himself harder, his jockey hardly having to lift a finger. They were three lengths in front with a furlong (200m) to go, and despite her best efforts, the mare Chicquita was unable to shorten the distance.

Pat Glennon had barely a penny to his name when he agreed to ride Comic Court in the Melbourne Cup. Despite never riding the stallion again, he was also never cashless again and went on to ride winners in some of Europe’s most famous races.

At 25-1 odds, Comic Court won his Melbourne Cup by 3 lengths and carrying the top weight of 9 stone 5 pound (59kgs). In doing so, he set a new Australian 2-mile record by finishing in a time of 3 minutes and 19.5 seconds which would not be beaten for 18 years. It was also a track record which wouldn’t be beaten until Rain Lover in 1969. The mare, Chicquita, finished in second place to the stallion with whom she would later bare a foal. Three days earlier in the Mackinnon Stakes on Derby Day, Chicquita had also finished second behind Comic Court. Their filly was named Comicquita, who like her mother before her, would also finish second in the Melbourne Cup, in 1962.

His strapper, and son of the trainer, had bet five weeks wages on him and needless to say he was elated. He was later quoted as saying “I thought ‘this is terrific… I’d like to do it myself sometime”. He did just that. Twelve times.

Two and a half months later, in his next race, Comic Court returned to Melbourne for the 6-furlong (1200m) William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley. Comic Court came from the back of the pack to charge home on the straight. Not only did he win, but he set a new time record that would also stand for 18 years. At his next race two weeks later, Comic Court equalled the track record for the 8-furlong (1600m) CF Orr Stakes, again at Moonee Valley. Here was another of those rare horses that could turn heads over any distance. His last race was the 1951 Sydney Cup in which he finished third. Over a total of 54 starts, Comic Court had 28 wins, 11 seconds, 4 thirds and was unplaced in 11.

He retired to stud in 1951 at Warlaby Stud (which was located at Oaklands Junction, north of Melbourne) where he sired 44 foals. Aside from Comicquita, his notable progeny includes Asian Court, Doll Prince, Gurney and Harcourt.

Comic Court lived to ripe old age of 28, he died in 1973 although the exact cause is unknown.

The Notable Exclusions

In 1910, a British-born, black stallion named Comedy King became the first horse imported from beyond the Antipodes to win a Melbourne Cup. After his retirement from racing he became a successful stud and sired the 1919 Melbourne Cup winner Artilleryman and 1922 winner King Ingoda. He was also the Great-grandfather of 1950 winner Comic Court.

Another of his sons, Shadow King, holds the records for the most attempts at a Melbourne Cup. From 1929 to 1935, he never finished lower than 6th place but he never won it. His placings were as follows: sixth, third, second, third, second and fourth (he did not enter the race in 1934).

In case you were wondering which horse is the most successful sire of Melbourne Cup winners? That would be Positano from Great Britain; he sired Lord Cardigan who won in 1903, Poseidon the 1906 winner, 1908 winner Lord Nolan and Piastre who won in 1912.

Sears' Studios, photographers. 1906. Poseidon and Jockey picture John Alfred Sears. Source: State Library of Victoria . — *Sears' Studios, photographers. 1906. Poseidon and Jockey picture John Alfred Sears. Source: State Library of Victoria*.

Poseidon was the first horse to win what would become known as The Cups Double in 1906. The Caulfield Cup was first run in 1879, making it 27 years before a horse would win both races. Since 1906, a total of 11 eleven horses have won the cups double, the last being Ethereal in 2001. Poseidon was also the first horse to win back to back Caulfield Cups when he won again in 1907.