How Phar Lap’s skin, bones and heart became ‘holy relics’ in colonial Australia and New Zealand
- Written by: Katie Pickles, Professor of History, University of Canterbury
When the legendary Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup in 1930, the big chestnut horse didn’t just live up to his Thai name, which means “lightning”. He also brought together strands of colonial history and mythology that are only now properly visible.
Much worshipped in life and in death, Phar Lap has occupied a unique place in the...
