Editing Phar Lap (section)

== Racing career ==
Phar Lap finished last in the first race and did not place in his next three races. He won his first race on 27 April 1929, the [[Maiden race horse|Maiden]] Juvenile Handicap at Rosehill, ridden by Jack Baker of [[Armidale]], a 17-year-old [[apprentice]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sydneyracing.com.au/article.php?current_article=408 |title=Jack Baker rode himself into Australian racing history |author=Phil Purser |access-date=2007-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927092851/http://www.sydneyracing.com.au/article.php?current_article=408 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He didn't race for several months but was then entered in a series of races, in which he moved up in class. Phar Lap took second in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick on 14 September 1929, and the racing community started treating him with respect. He won the Rosehill Guineas by three lengths on 21 September 1929, ridden by [[Jim Munro (jockey)|James L. Munro]].

As his achievements grew, there were some who tried to halt his progress. Criminals tried to shoot Phar Lap<ref name="ThePharLapStory">{{cite web |url=http://www.pharlap.com.au/thestory |title=The Phar Lap Story |access-date=2009-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514065710/http://www.pharlap.com.au/thestory/ |archive-date=14 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4215656?searchTerm= |title=Shot fired at Phar Lap |publisher=Trove.nla.gov.au |date=3 November 1930 |access-date=2010-05-06}}</ref> on the morning of Saturday 1 November 1930 after he had finished track work. They missed, and later that day he won the Melbourne Stakes, and three days later the Melbourne Cup as odds-on favourite at 8 to 11.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=70426&term=Phar+Lap|title= Collections:Phar Lap|author=Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewar | access-date = 2009-04-20 }}</ref>
[[File:Phar Lap competing in a race, Melbourne, ca. 1930 .jpg|thumb|Phar Lap Jim Pike and Chide W.Cook Randwick Racecourse 1931]]
[[File:Pharlap1930melbournecup.jpg|thumb|Phar Lap winning the [[Melbourne Cup]] Race from Second Wind and Shadow King on 4 November 1930]]

In the four years of his racing career, Phar Lap won 37 of 51 races he entered, including the [[Melbourne Cup]], being ridden by [[James E. Pike|Jim Pike]], in 1930 with 9&nbsp;st 12&nbsp;lb ({{convert|138|lb|kg}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16728295?searchTerm= |title=Phar Lap wins the cup |publisher=Trove.nla.gov.au |date=5 November 1930 |access-date=2010-05-06}}</ref> In that year and 1931, he won 14 races in a row. From his win as a three-year-old in the [[Victoria Racing Club|VRC]] St. Leger Stakes until his final race in Mexico, Phar Lap won 32 of 35 races. In the three races that he did not win, he ran second on two occasions, beaten by a short head and a neck, and in the 1931 Melbourne Cup he finished eighth when carrying 10&nbsp;st 10&nbsp;lb ({{convert|150|lb|kg}}).

Phar Lap at the time was owned by American businessman David J. Davis and leased to Telford. After their three-year lease agreement ended, Telford had enough money to become joint owner of the horse. Davis then had Phar Lap shipped to North America to race. Telford did not agree with this decision and refused to go, so Davis, who along with his wife traveled to Mexico with him, brought Phar Lap's strapper [[Tommy Woodcock]] as his new trainer.<ref name="Phar Lap 1926-1932" /> Phar Lap was shipped by boat to [[Agua Caliente Racetrack]] near [[Tijuana]], [[Mexico]], to compete in the [[Agua Caliente Handicap]], which was offering the largest prize money ever offered in North America racing. Phar Lap won in track-record time while carrying 129 pounds (58.5&nbsp;kg). The horse was ridden by Australian jockey [[Billy Elliot (jockey)|Billy Elliot]] for his seventh win from seven rides.<ref>{{cite news|last=Moriarty |first=Richard |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20655125-662,00.html |title=Blame 'The Brazilian' |publisher=News.com.au |date=28 October 2006 |access-date=2010-05-06}}</ref> From there, the horse was sent to a private ranch near [[Menlo Park, California|Menlo Park]], California, while his owner negotiated with racetrack officials for special race appearances.