15 PHAR LAP THE LEGEND LIVES ON THE FLOAT Flemington Racecourse and Australian Racing Museum Some objects earn their place in history simply by being present when something extraordinary happened. That is the story of the restored horse float on display as part of Phar Lap: A Century of a Champion at Flemington – a float believed to have carried the champion during his racing career. Built on a REO Speedwagon chassis with a Dodge motor, the float was used by Chapman & Sons, one of Victoria’s leading horse transport companies of the 1920s and 30s. Designed for practicality rather than comfort, it could carry three horses in individual stalls, with feed bins and compartments for strappers and equipment. Its greatest journey came during Cup Week 1930, when Phar Lap’s Melbourne Cup campaign was thrown into chaos. Three days before the race, a shot was fired at the champion as he returned from trackwork at Caulfield. After winning the Melbourne Stakes that afternoon, Phar Lap was secretly moved to St Albans Stud near Geelong for his safety. On Cup day, his return journey to Flemington almost ended before it began when the float refused to start. With time running out, his connections fought to get the engine going and Phar Lap arrived less than an hour before the race. Carrying 62.6 kilograms, he went on to win one of the greatest Melbourne Cups in history. Today, the float is part of the Australian Racing Museum collection. Restored in 1983 for the Australian film Phar Lap, it carries a story beyond the racetrack – preserving both a piece of racing history and a moment of Australian film heritage.
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