Summary

This letter of sympathy was one of a large number sent to his trainer and part owner Harry Telford after Phar Lap died in April, 1932. The Telford family retained the letters, and they were donated to the museum in the 1990s.

More Information

  • Collection Names

    Phar Lap Collection

  • Collecting Areas

    Leisure, Public Life & Institutions

  • Acquisition Information

    Donation from Mrs Nancy Telford, 20 Oct 1999

  • Place & Date Written

    61 Havelock Street, Mayfield, New South Wales, Australia, 13 Apr 1932

  • Inscriptions

    Text: Dear Sir,/As a lover of a good horse, words fail me, in/attempting to offer my sincerest sympathy to you, and/yours in the sad loss you have sustained, by the untimely/end of the greatest Racehorse that ever looked through/a bridal - yours, and "Our Mighty Phar Lap"/A champion in every sense of the word, he understood/as much about his work, as you did yourself. What/a wonderful horse to have in ones' stable./As an Australian representative, he nobly performed/his part, (even though probably not at 'his best' at the/time) and proved at his only start in America/that we, too, can produce "World beaters". Would/that when selecting our teams, to go overseas, we could/only have amongst them 'one' the 'equal of Phar Lap'/Well dear Mr. Telford would I be asking/too much to ask of you this little favour./I would give whatever possible, to have an arm strap/for my wristlet watch, made from the leather taken from/the bridal, rein, saddle, or stirrup leathers, carried by/our noble champion when he won at 'Agua Caliente'/Failing this coveted souvenir, I would forever/prize, any little souvenir, taken from that carried/by Phar Lap on this memorable day./Trusting my genuine application meets with/your approval, and once again, offering you/my whole-hearted, sporting sympathy/I am dear Sir,/A True sympathetic Sportsman.

  • Classification

    Sport, Horse racing, Correspondence

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    History

  • Type of item

    Document

  • Overall Dimensions

    25.1 cm (Length), 19.1 cm (Width)

  • Keywords

    Correspondence, Death & Mourning, Horse Racing, Horses, Racing Industry, Sport, Making History - Phar Lap