Almost 90 years since the death of the 1930 Melbourne Cup winner, the circumstances of the horse’s death remain wrapped in suspicion, mythology and confusion.
As a child Kerry Negara was regaled by stories of Phar Lap almost straight from the horse’s mouth.
Negara, a researcher, filmmaker and podcaster, remains convinced Phar Lap was killed by men linked to the mafia who were nervous about losing their fortunes in illegal bookmaking scams.nine-part podcastrevisits a 40-year-old claim that Phar Lap’s heart – displayed at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra – is a fake.
The problem? The vet who removed the heart told his daughter, Mary McCann, that it is not Phar Lap’s heart at all. In an email, museum director Mathew Trinca thanked her for the proposal and said while the directors were not willing to make the heart specimen available for testing they would offer other pieces of the heart, which had been preserved in fluid from the initial dissection of the organ in 1932.
The months and years ticked by, deadlines came and went and Negara lost faith, drafting an email to the museum’s director that she later thought the better of sending. The laboratory had been given several samples which testing had revealed “extreme DNA degradation and limited DNA amounts”, he wrote to the museum’s head of curatorial centres Martha Sear on September 4 this year.
Phar Lap is led back to the mounting yard at Flemington Racecourse after winning the Victoria Derby, Melbourne, November 1929.“I must express my surprise at that stage and can only regret the situation, given the efforts and resources invested in this study at my end,” he wrote. “Doubts about the authenticity of the jar were raised for the first time only today, and now I am realising that we may even have worked on some random horse specimen.
Both Negara and Professor Orlando were shocked at the response and pleaded in separate correspondence for the process to continue. Dr Mathew Trinca, director of the National Museum of Australia, with the Phar Lap’s heart exhibit at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra earlier this week.“Given that our analyses are destructive, it is thus reasonable to not damage the other remains further until more advanced technologies may become available,” he said.
But Armstrong says the latest developments are proof the horse still has an unrivalled place in the Australian psyche.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Museum undertook secret DNA testing to end Phar Lap fake heart theorySeveral segments of the racehorse’s heart, which have been preserved for almost 90 years, underwent testing earlier this year, but the process was abruptly abandoned.
Read more »
Museum undertook secret DNA testing to end Phar Lap fake heart theorySeveral segments of the racehorse’s heart, which have been preserved for almost 90 years, underwent testing earlier this year, but the process was abruptly abandoned.
Read more »
40-year music star murder mystery solvedHuman remains that were found nearly 40 years ago in a garbage bag have finally been identified – as a former member of the American R&B band The O’Jays.
Read more »
SA Police release eight clues that could solve cold case murderSeacliff teenager Susi Schmidt was brutally murdered in 1971 after finishing her shift at the local Burger King. Fifty years on, police hope a DNA breakthrough and fresh appeal will solve the case.
Read more »
Australian beekeepers win manuka honey trademark battle against NZ producersNew Zealand producers failed in their bid to trademark the term “manuka honey”, a move Australian beekeepers say would have had devastating impacts on the industry.
Read more »
Warner battles pain and persistent England as Harris fails againDavid Warner struggled with badly bruised ribs and England’s recalled dynamic duo of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad to lay a platform for Australia.
Read more »