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

  • Date Written

    18 Apr 1932

  • Inscriptions

    Text: To/Mr. Harry Telford/Dear Sir/Just a few lines/to give you my deepest sympathy on behalf/of the loss you have sustained by the death of your/sighty & galland racehorse Phar Lap. Although/I never had the pleasure of seeing him only in pictures/I was & ardent admirer of him, & I can assure you/nothing gave me greater pleasure than when I was reading/in the papers of his noble deeds in every race that he/won from the time you won the first race with him, up/till his last great victory in America, under the care of/your foreman Tom Woodcock. I am very sorry to say/that I think some scoundrel or scoundrels was implic-/ated in his untimely death. I have been speaking to/several vets on Phar Laps death & they all seem to agree that/there was foulplay brought to bear on the matter./Those selfish mongrels are to be found nearly in all/Nations. [extensive text]

  • Classification

    Sport, Horse racing, Correspondence

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    History

  • Type of item

    Document

  • Overall Dimensions

    25.2 cm (Length), 19.7 cm (Width)

  • Keywords

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