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He lived fast, died young and left a beautiful corpse.

The immortal Phar Lap, winner of the 1930 Cup won the hearts of the nation in the Great Depression, winning the coveted trophy while carrying a 68kg (10 stone) handicap.

Phar Lap was foaled among the rich sweet grass of New Zealand in 1926. He stood at 17 hands and over his career won more than 65 thousand pounds in prize money and won 37 of his 51 starts.

He won virtually every major Australian race, many of them twice.

The idea of taking ‘Big Red‘ to the United States had been discussed among racing people for some time, but it was said that many had a dark sense of foreboding about the plans. However, the decision was not theirs to make.

Phar Lap went on to win America’s richest race, the Agua Caliente Handicap, in 1932. He never raced again - for just a fortnight later he was dead - in highly suspicious circumstances.

The question of who or what killed Phar Lap has been a great mystery for nearly 70 years. Theories, at the time of his death in California and in the decades since, have ranged from the outlandish to the plausible, including an underworld or anti-racing lobby hit.

At the news of his death, the Australian press overflowed with tributes to Phar Lap, extolling his virtues as a champion horse and describing some of his glorious moments on the race track.

In an age when memories of Gallipoli were still strong, one of the main themes was that of Phar Lap as a noble warrior.

These days you can find his skeleton in the Dominion Museum in New Zealand, his hide on display at the Museum of Victoria, and his famously big heart at the National Museum of Australia.

To have “a heart as big as Phar Lap ” is high praise indeed.