FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Phar Lap Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Phar Lap Quizzes, Trivia

Phar Lap Trivia

Phar Lap Trivia Quizzes

  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Sports Trivia
  6. »
  7. Australia

Fun Trivia
3 Phar Lap quizzes and 50 Phar Lap trivia questions.
1.
  Phar Lap    
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
The greatest horse of the 20th century.
Tough, 25 Qns, veandercross, Jul 10 07
Tough
veandercross
768 plays
2.
  Phar Lap: A True Legend    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
A tribute to Phar Lap, Australia's greatest racehorse.
Average, 15 Qns, ElusiveDream, Jun 17 12
Average
ElusiveDream
182 plays
3.
  The Extraordinary Phar Lap    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
My thoroughbred idol has always been Phar Lap and I thought that you might enjoy a quick quiz about his life and achievements.
Difficult, 10 Qns, Bellyra, Sep 18 09
Difficult
Bellyra
342 plays

Phar Lap Trivia Questions

1. In which country was Phar Lap born?

From Quiz
Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: New Zealand

Phar Lap was born at Seadown Stud, Timaru, New Zealand, on Monday 4th October 1926.

2. On which date was Phar Lap foaled?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: 4.October.1926

Foaled at Seadown Stud, Timaru, in New Zealand's South Island. He was by a well-bred but poorly performed bay stallion from England named Night Raid and out of a Entreaty, a black mare who was also well-bred but broke down at her only start. None of her other nine foals to race amounted to anything approaching Phar Lap. But he had the great Carbine in his pedigree, winner of the 1890 Melbourne Cup, among many other races. Carbine also sired Spearmint who won the 1906 Epsom Derby. Phar Lap's chestnut colouring must also have been a throwback.

3. Who was the sire of Phar Lap?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Night Raid

Night Raid was not much of a racehorse, but his sire Radium was the winner of a Doncaster Cup and a Goodwood Cup in England, and Spearmint, an Epsom derby winner was the sire of Night Raid's dam.

4. At which racecourse did Phar Lap have his first win as a two-year-old?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: Rosehill, N.S.W.

Phar Lap's first win was a Maiden Juvenile Handicap over 6 furlongs. It was a big field of 21 runners and he won by a half length from Voleuse with Pure Tea two lengths further back. This was also his last start as a two-year-old, having been unplaced in four other starts.

5. Who was the dam of Phar Lap?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Entreaty

She was a great grand-daughter of St. Simon. She had twelve foals, eight by Night Raid, and only Phar Lap passed the test.

6. Who finally rode Phar Lap to his first win in his fifth race?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: Jack Baker

Jack Baker was a lightly weighted apprentice who had the benefit of a 5lb allowance and rode Phar Lap to win with only 7st 9lb (48.5kg) on his back. He was by far the best horse Jack Baker would ever ride. "Cashy" Martin did ride Phar Lap and was twice unplaced but he rode Phar Lap occasionally in work as he also worked for Harry Telford. He died some few years later in a race fall. Munro and McCarten were also both brilliant jockeys, the latter was also a brilliant trainer.

7. Where was Phar Lap bred?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Seadown Stud, Timaru

Owned by Mr A F Roberts, Seadown was a small stud on the outskirts of Timaru. He also bred the champion horse Nightmarch.

8. How much did Phar Lap cost?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: 160 guineas

Phar Lap was purchased by Mr. David Davis for 160 guineas. However, when Phar Lap arrived in Australia, Mr. Davis was unimpressed. The horse was clumsy and his head was covered in warts. Phar Lap was trained by Sydney trainer, Harry Telford. Interestingly, another horse, Honour, which was sold at the same time as Phar Lap, fetched 2,300 guineas. Honour won the Breeders Plate at Randwick in 1928 and the NZ Derby in 1929.

9. Who was Phar Lap's utterly devoted attendant all of his racing life, being separated from him only four days in that entire time, including when he was spelled?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: Tommy Woodcock

Aaron Treve "Tommy" Woodcock, was born in Bellbrook, northern New South Wales, on 8th October 1905 and lived there for the first six years of his life. After his beloved "Bobby" died, Tommy continued to train in the U.S. for a brief time and then returned to train in Australia. He preferred a very small team of horses with owners who loved their horses above all else and as a result only enjoyed moderate success but that was how he liked it best. In the 1970s, he again tasted hero worship when the public adored his mighty-hearted stallion, Reckless, who won the 1977 Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane Cups and just went down in the home run to be second to Gold And Black in that year's Melbourne Cup. Tommy used to give children rides on his horses and was loved by a racing public who never forgot. He passed away in April 1986 having seen and assisted in the story of his beloved Phar Lap being brought to the big screen, in which he had a cameo appearance.

10. Where was Phar Lap sold as a yearling?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Trentham Yearling Sales

Sold for a pittance, one of his young opponents Carradale, was sold at about the same time for ten times the amount and never beat Phar Lap.

11. Which horse beat Phar Lap in the 1929 AJC Easter Stakes?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: Carradale

Carradale was owned by Lachlan Kenneth Scobie Mackinnon, the chairman of the Victoria Racing Club. This would be the only time Carradale would beat Phar Lap. Nightmarch was Phar Lap's half-brother.

12. What was Phar Lap's weight for the 1930 VRC Melbourne Cup over 2 miles which, when he won, set a weight-carrying record for a four-year-old?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: 9st 12lb

The metric equivalent is 62.5kg and with ease did he take out the race, three lengths clear of Second Wind with Shadow King 3/4 of a length behind him. He also started the shortest-priced favourite in history at 8-11 on.

13. Which other horse was paired with Phar Lap for the 1930 Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: Amounis

Bookmakers stood to lose a fortune if both horses won. Amounis won the Caulfield Cup by a 1/2 length and, despite the fact that he was shot at three days before the race, Phar Lap went on to win the Melbourne Cup by three lengths.

14. During the four days of the 1930 Melbourne Cup Carnival (1st, 4th, 6th and 8th November), how many races did Phar Lap win?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: 4

[o] 1st November 1920 he won the VRC Melbourne Stakes (now the L.K.S MacKinnon Stakes) over 10 furlongs at Weight-for-Age by 3 lengths with 8st 11lb; [o] 4th November he won the Cup, a handicap race; [o] 6th November he won the VRC Linlithgow Stakes over a mile at Weight-for-Age by 4 lengths with 8st 12lb; [o] 8th November he won the VRC C.B. Fisher Plate over a mile and a half at Weight-for-Age by 3 1/2 lengths again with 8st 12lb. A program like that for a horse these days, especially one so valuable, would be unheard of but it was a lot more common then.

15. Who was Phar Lap's trainer?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Harry Telford

Harry was born in Ballarat, but raised in NZ. He got a lucky break working for Gloaming's trainer Richard Mason. Harry was a great reader of pedigrees. Hugh was his brother, also a horse trainer. David Davis was the owner of Phar Lap.

16. How old was Phar Lap when he won his first race?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: Two

Phar Lap's first win was as a two-year-old in the 1929 Maiden Juvenile Handicap. Seven months later, he beat Carradale in the Victoria Derby. In between these races he won the Rosehill Guineas, the A.J.C Derby and the Craven Plate.

17. Who rode Phar Lap 30 times for 27 wins and 2 placings?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: Jim Pike

Jim Pike was a master horseman and already a champion jockey by the time Phar Lap was offered him for the AJC Derby of 1929 (in those days run in the spring, now run in the autumn). He was, unfortunately, to battle against weight gain for most of his career and was only ever really a heavyweight rider. He won races in England and rode some of the best horses of the day in Australia including the mighty Chatham but eventually weight beat him and, with an ulcerated stomach, he retired from riding in 1936 but still worked as a foreman for some years for Jack Green. Jim Pike was a real gentleman and generous to a fault. Having amassed a fortune as a jockey, he gave much of it away helping out others so that when he passed away at the age of 77 on 7th October 1969, he did so a poor man.

18. Where did Phar Lap finish in his first race?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Last

In a Nursery HCP at Rosehill, it was won by a horse named Exact. Phar Lap was of course only learning the ropes.

19. How many times did New Zealand champion, Nightmarch (also by Phar Lap's sire and winner of the 1929 Melbourne Cup), finish second to Phar Lap, after which his frustrated owner returned him to New Zealand where he promptly won!

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: 5

Phar Lap relegated Nightmarch to second place 5 times in 7 months. Nightmarch was an exceptional horse, just not in the same league as Phar Lap. When he beat Phar Lap in the 1929 Melbourne Cup, it wasn't because Phar Lap couldn't have won it, it was because his jockey couldn't hold him and he bolted, tiring towards the end but still running third. Out of the ten jockeys who ever rode Phar Lap, only Bobby Lewis couldn't handle him. By 1929 he was getting old and though he had a brilliant career behind him, he was no longer strong enough to hold a headstrong 17 hand three-year-old with a 25-foot stride.

20. Which jockey rode Phar Lap in his first race?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Cash Martin

Cash Martin was a young apprentice to Telford. He died in a racefall not long after Phar Lap's Melbourne Cup win.

21. How many races did Phar Lap win where he had three opponents or less?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: 7

1930 AJC St.Leger, 1930 AJC Cumberland Stakes, 1930 AJC Plate, 1930 SAJC Elder Stakes, 1930 AJC Randwick Plate, 1930 VRC C.B. Fisher Plate and the 1931 AJC Randwick Plate. By his three-year-old season, many owners and trainers refused to start their horses against Phar Lap, preferring easier game but it meant many missed the best races because Phar Lap was in them! There were also times when bookies closed their bags and refused to take bets on races in which he ran.

22. What were Phar Lap's colours?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Red with black and white hooped sleeves

Harry saw the colours in a pub in Christchurch, in a print of the American colt, Iroquois, the first American horse to win an English Derby.

23. What was Phar Lap's last win before leaving Australia for his ill-fated assault on American racing?

From Quiz The Extraordinary Phar Lap

Answer: 1931 VRC Melbourne Stakes

The Cox Plate was his second last win and he did not race in either of the other two because they're both held in the autumn and Phar Lap was already in the U.S. They were, however, races he had previously won.

24. After running eighth in the 1929 AJC Easter Stakes, Phar Lap finally won his first race. At which course was this?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Rosehill

In a spectacular betting coup, Harry and his friends made a fortune from Phar Laps win. They say the odds shortened from 15-1 to 7-1.

25. How much weight did Phar Lap carry in the 1930 Melbourne Cup?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: 62.5 kg

His heaviest weight was 68kg in the 1931 Melbourne Cup, when he came home in 8th position. (10 st 10 lb)

26. Which horse challenged Phar Lap in the 1932 Agua Caliente Handicap?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: Reveille Boy

After finishing 8th behind White Nose in the 1931 Melbourne Cup, Phar Lap travelled to Mexico to run in the Agua Caliente Handicap. Despite being challenged by Reveille Boy, Phar Lap won by two lengths.

27. In the 1929 Melbourne Cup, Phar Lap ridden by Bobby Lewis and carrying the no. 10 saddlecloth, finished third. Which horse won?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: Nightmarch

Nightmarch, another New Zealander, was also a champion racehorse and his connections must of wondered what riches and races they would have won without Phar Lap on the scene.

28. What tragic event occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday 5th April 1932?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: Phar Lap died

Early that morning Phar Lap's strapper, Tommy Woodcock, woke to find to find Phar Lap in distress. At noon, with his head resting in Tommy's arms, Phar Lap died. Many believe his death was caused by arsenic poisoning.

29. What made Phar Lap's heart so special?

From Quiz Phar Lap: A True Legend

Answer: It was massive

With a weight of 6.2kg, Phar Lap's heart is the largest ever found in a horse. An average horse's heart weighs around 3kg.

30. Which position did Phar Lap fill in his first start as a 4 year old, in the 1930 AJC Warwick Stakes?

From Quiz Phar Lap

Answer: 2nd

Beaten by Amounis, who had also beaten him in the St. George Stakes. Amounis was a great older horse who won a number of big races including the 1930 Caulfield Cup.

This is category 9711
play trivia = Top 5% Rated Quiz, take trivia quiz Top 10% Rated Quiz, test trivia quiz Top 20% Rated Quiz, popular trivia A Well Rated Quiz
new quizzes = added recently, editor pick = Editor's Pick editor = FunTrivia Editor gold = Gold Member

Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.