Phar Lap's Heart by LisaMay 200 Word Story writing prompt entry |
Phar Lap, a famous racehorse, died on April 5th, 1932. I am not particularly interested in horse racing, but I have a special bond with Phar Lap. Kids are fascinated by gross things: I saw his preserved heart on display in 1963 at the Institute of Anatomy in Canberra when I was ten years old. I was awed by the unusually large size of that organ, while being horrified at the thought of it being cut out of a magnificent animal. In another twist of personal connection, Royal Canberra Hospital, in which I was born, was demolished in 1997 to make way for construction of the National Museum of Australia, where Phar Lap’s heart is now displayed. The racehorse’s ability made him an Australian and New Zealand legend, a Depression-era hero with a phenomenal series of wins. He was bred in New Zealand, not far from where I now live. The National Museum in Wellington displays his skeleton. Following success ‘Downunder’, he was taken to North America where, at his first start, he won the rich Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico in record time. Distressingly, two weeks later he died in California in mysterious circumstances. Some say he was poisoned.
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