dewyane1976

Agua Caliente is an interesting and colorful track. RIght in the middle of Tijuana. Sorry about Phar Lap.. He was an exceptional horse. buckpasser, I have been reading more about the mixture you refer to.. Seems there were lots of things (drugs) mixed in with horse food.

Most animals at the turn of the century were HOPPED (hence the term hop head) as a stimulant to run. We tend to think that drugs that would be a downer to us (Heroin for instance) should have the same pharmacological effect in all other animals. They simply do not. I have seen morphine type meds cuase extreme aggitation and hyeractivity in geriatrics...Different physiolology different pharmacological outcome.

Like all conspiracy theories proof is lacking as to if he really was poisoned or not...

Sadly Junebug and Anna, drugging horses is not a recent occurrence. The difference between today and earlier times, is that there are more sophisticated ways to enhance performances today

Rightfully or not I have always felt that many horses like Sir Barton and others who were sterile at stud had used too much of Fowlers Mixture

He didn't win in america and hasn't been around for almost a century. What did you expect?

Fowlers Mixture was used by many horse barns. Heroin was actually available in many over the counter medicines for people. I remember my mother talking about Lady Pinkums which available in any pharmacy in the 1920s or earlier and that had heroin in it. What a lot of people don't realize is that you can ingest small quantities of arsenic without effect. The problem is that it does build up in your system. It is always said that Napoleon died of arsenic poisoning as he was fed small doses of arsenic by the British on st. Helena. As in Phar Lap arsenic stays in the hair and in people in their nails do years later you can still find evidence of its use.

That I didn't know. It's a shame he didn't get to pursue the U.S. campaign they were planning. First he pulled a tendon and then was poisoned.

It is a shame that he could not pursue his US campaign. I read recently that his hair was tested and they found he had ingested a very large dose of arsenic within 30 to 40 hrs of his death. This test was done in 2006 I think. Arsenic was very available as many racehorses used Fowlers mixture that had arsenic and heroin in it. So arsenic was easy to come by.

Most of the horses in the top 50 haven't been around for a while.

You mean he won in North America. The Agua Caliente race was held at Agua Caiente racetrack located in Tijuana Mexico. I think the confusion comes from the fact that BAja California is a state in Mexico. Granted the track was built by Americans and used in the twenties and thirties to escape prohibition.

I have started a book which just came out about an Australian horse Peter Pan who many said was as great as Phar Lap but has been largely forgotten. It is by Jessica Owers and is available from Amazon as A large paperback or ebook

Read it was arsenic too Buckpasser. Almost sound like the same article.

Excuse me then.

Colin, Man O' War and Phar Lap are the only ones who haven't been around for a while. Sysonby should be there as well as many others.

Cocoa, he DID win in America. He won the Agua Caliente Hdcp by 2 lgths at 129 lbs and set a track record of 2:02..8. Bloodhorse has him ranked #22 all time.

I hope he comes back strong, all of a sudden this group of 3 yr olds needs some new faces.

I'd say Travers -- at the earliest.

He was a fantastic racehorse and I think he should be ranked at the same number his undefeated list spanned.