Startling discovery over Phar Lap’s Melbourne Cup
Baca Juga
Historical detective function has delivered a stunning result. Evidence strongly suggests the long-lost Melbourne Cup won past times Phar Lap inwards 1930 is silent intact – in addition to has been pressed into service every bit the trophy for 2 after Cup races. Neil Clarkson reports.
What became of Phar Lap’s 1930 Melbourne Cup? It has been ane of the enduring mysteries inwards the proud history of the dandy race.
As celebrations mark this year’s 150th running of the race at Flemington unfold, it is the Timaru-born racing legend that is front-and-centre inwards celebrations.
His skeleton has fifty-fifty crossed the Tasman from Wellington’s Te Papa Museum to bring together his mounted enshroud on display at Melbourne Museum, inwards a exceptional four-and-a-half-month exhibition expected to attract 350,000 visitors.
Now, a remarkable slice of historical detective function past times Dr Andrew Lemon has all but completed the puzzle in addition to most probable identified the gilded loving cup the so-called Red Terror of the Antipodes won lxxx years ago.
The historic loving cup has non emerged from a dusty attic or been found inwards some long-forgotten vault. The 1930 Melbourne Cup, it seems, resides inwards the Toorak, Melbourne, domicile of Australian socialite Lady Susan Renouf, having been pressed into utilization every bit a vase.
How did Dr Lemon, an independent historian, deal to line the trophy dorsum to 1930?
Dr Lemon, whose tertiary book of The History of Australian Thoroughbred Racing has only been released, began his inquiry into Phar Lap’s loving cup inwards earnest 3 years ago, when he helped examine that an engraved gilded trophy held past times a New South Wales motorcar dealer, in addition to purported to live Phar Lap’s missing prize, was a forgery.
It has been a journeying inwards which Dr Lemon used all his skills every bit a historian to lay together, slice past times piece, a puzzle to deliver a compelling declaration that Lady Renouf’s rose vase is, indeed, Phar Lap’s cup.
“I would lay the likelihood at to a greater extent than than xc per cent,” Dr Lemon told Horsetalk. “I’m a historian, non a journalist, but the circumstantial evidence is rattling strong.”
Dr Lemon has extensively researched records, some of which categorically confirm parts of the cup’s history in addition to others which come upward tantalisingly roughly proving beyond uncertainty that the loving cup is the existent deal.
While that lastly slice of evidence remains elusive, at that spot tin live no doubting the character of his inquiry in addition to the forcefulness of his findings.
So compelling is the representative that Lady Renouf’s loving cup volition at diverse times live on display during Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival inwards the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup early on inwards November.
Lady Renouf’s loving cup was the spoils of victory inwards the 1980 Melbourne Cup. She was in addition to then Susan Sangster, married adult woman of well-known English linguistic communication thoroughbred possessor in addition to breeder Robert Sangster, whose stallion, Beldale Ball, claimed the loving cup victory.
Dr Lemon had noted an interesting curiosity nigh the 1980 Melbourne Cup. It was non similar other Melbourne Cups of the era.
“After 1930, the Melbourne Cups that were made right upward to this yr were all similar inwards price of dimensions in addition to the amount of gilded inwards them,” he explains.
It was clear that Lady Renouf’s heavier loving cup did non belong inwards the 1980s.
The argue for that has been established beyond doubt: the 1980 loving cup was genuinely the recycled 1953 Melbourne Cup, which was won past times Wodalla.
“There is no uncertainty nigh that at all,” Dr Lemon explains. “The people involved inwards doing that are live in addition to well. We established that the 1980 loving cup was definitely the 1953 cup.”
Victoria Racing Club records confirm that.
However, it transpires that the 1953 Melbourne Cup was clearly non a production of the 1950s. It was bigger than the cups of the 1950s past times a pregnant amount – past times some 150 to 200 grams.
Too big? That pointed to the possibility that the 1953 Melbourne Cup was also recycled – in addition to at to the lowest degree 23 years sometime when Wodalla stormed to the win.
Dr Lemon is helped past times the fact that non all Melbourne Cups are identical. Those made betwixt 1919 in addition to 1930 – the yr Phar Lap won it – were all considerably heavier than the cups which create got been manufactured since.
“They are non identical,” Dr Lemon says of the 12 heavier cups, from the era when the distinctive three-handled blueprint came to the fore.
“They all facial expression similar what you lot recollect of with the Melbourne Cup, but when you lot move into the details at that spot are differences.”
Dr Lemon was lay on to the records of the master goldsmith who made the cups past times the maker’s grandson, the cloth existence held inwards the archives of the University of Melbourne.
The records of Melbourne goldsmith James Steeth gave the weight of the 1930 cup, but non all the dimensions.
Steeth in addition to his son, Maurice, were responsible for making all Melbourne Cups from 1919 to 1970, in addition to their apprentice, Lucky Rocca, continued their work. That meant alone 3 goldsmiths were responsible for the industry of the cups over an 80-year period.
Such inquiry got Dr Lemon alone so far, but key questions remained. Lady Renouf’s loving cup was unquestionably a Melbourne Cup – it was won inwards that capacity inwards 1980 in addition to inwards 1953. But was it also a Melbourne Cup from the 1919 to 1930 era?
Dr Lemon has no doubts. The loving cup meets every description, is the right weight, in addition to fifty-fifty carries the score of W.M. Drummond in addition to Co, the Melbourne-based jewellers who effectively acted every bit the middle human being betwixt the goldsmiths in addition to the Victoria Racing Club.
Unfortunately, Commonwealth of Australia did non utilization the British hallmarks system, which would create got seen marks stamped into the loving cup which would create got identified the engagement of industry – in addition to examine in ane trial in addition to for all it was Phar Lap’s Cup.
It was highly unlikely the loving cup could create got been a replica, he says. He has never found whatever records to dot such a loving cup was e'er made.
“So, if it was made earlier 1931, whose loving cup could live it be?” he asks, inwards outlining the path taken inwards his research.
“That turned out to live a flake of a detective flush inwards itself.”
Accounting for the 12 cups was no slowly task.
He applied 2 strategies. Firstly, what cups could he genuinely locate in addition to thus eliminate? Second, for those he could non locate, were at that spot reliable sightings of them on tape after 1953?
If so, he could safely eliminate them every bit they could non live Lady Renouf’s Cup – which was past times that fourth dimension taking pride of identify inwards the domicile of the 1953 winner.
In the end, inquiry marks hung over 4 cups – 1921, 1922, 1925 in addition to 1926.
The 1926 loving cup was won past times Spearfelt. The cup’s possessor died inwards 1972 in addition to left the trophy to his niece, Dr Lemon explains. “It has turned out that when he died the loving cup had disappeared. His identify unit of measurement believe he silent had it inwards 1953.”
He thus considers it highly doubtful this could live the loving cup inwards Lady Renouf’s possession.
The goldsmith’s records studied past times Dr Lemon revealed the measurements in addition to weights of the 1921 in addition to 1922 cups. “They are both besides calorie-free to live the loving cup that Lady Renouf has,” he says.
That leaves the 1925 cup, won past times Windbag, which was stolen from its possessor prior to 1953. However, pictures of the loving cup demo it to create got distinctive features which dominion it out every bit Lady Renouf’s Cup.
That left alone Phar Lap’s 1930 cup.
The evidence was mounting.
“The adjacent purpose of the detective function was tracing what happened to Phar Lap’s cup,” Dr Lemon says.
The loving cup was inwards the possession of trainer Harry Telford, but what did he practice with it?
“We practice know that Telford owned that trophy in addition to did dispose of it when he was difficult up.”
Telford genuinely owned 3 gilded racing trophies, with them Phar Lap’s Cup.
Speculation surrounds the fate of the trophies after they were sold, including the proffer they were melted down, but Dr Lemon says at that spot is no evidence of that.
It was, Dr Lemon points out, to a greater extent than profitable to the parties involved to maintain the cup, rebadge it, in addition to sell it to the Victoria Racing Club, rather than industry a novel loving cup from scratch.
“We know it was done on to a greater extent than than ane occasion inwards the 1950s.”
Three to 4 cups, inwards diverse eras, were recycled, he said.
Dr Lemon says at that spot was no collectibles marketplace for the trophies inwards the 1950s in addition to the Victoria Racing Club could create got bought the recycled trophy for the value of the gold.
And, inwards the representative of the 1953 cup, racing guild records examine categorically that the Victoria Racing Club did, inwards fact, purchase a second-hand loving cup that yr from W.M. Drummond in addition to Co. for £440 – coming inwards £110 nether budget.
“They were trying to relieve coin when the toll of gilded was going up.”
Not alone that, but at that spot is no tape of Seeth making a Melbourne Cup that year.
It is instantly a affair of tape that the 1980 loving cup inwards the possession of Lady Renouf was the recycled 1953 Melbourne Cup.
Dr Lemon has also shown that the 1953 Cup was, inwards fact, a recycled loving cup from 1919 to 1930.
Through a procedure of elimination, the evidence unearthed past times Dr Lemon is compelling that the loving cup owned past times Lady Renouf is Phar Lap’s cup.
So, how does Lady Renouf’s loving cup compare with photographs of Phar Lap’s trophy?
Dr Lemon says several photographs be of Phar Lap’s cup, with them paper pictures at the fourth dimension of its presentation.
However, the best epitome is a studio photograph taken of Telford’s 3 gilded cups, instantly held past times the Melbourne Museum.
Dr Lemon suspects Telford commissioned the photograph earlier he sold them, so he would create got some memento to keep.
“That is past times far the clearest photo,” he says. “The comparing is very, rattling strong.”
Dr Lemon said he had some piddling doubts nigh the size of some of the components, but alone so much item could live extracted from a photograph in addition to at that spot was distortion – yet nipper – of the photographic television set camera lens to concern human relationship for.
“[That said], it is a very, rattling strong resemblance.”
What of the weight?
Steeth’s records demo Phar Lap’s Cup weighed 35 troy ounces (1088 grams). The loving cup inwards Lady Renouf’s possession weighs 1045 grams – a weight considered spot on for Phar Lap’s cup, given 2 lots of engraving, from 1930 in addition to 1952, create got been polished off the cup.
Dr Lemon’s remarkable probe has revealed what is almost for certain the startling the truth – the Melbourne Cup held past times Lady Renouf is Phar Lap’s Cup – a trophy that is zilch curt of an Australian national treasure in addition to potentially worth upward to $A1 million.
The circumstantial evidence is compelling, but non ane slice of evidence proves with consummate certainty it is Phar Lap’s cup.
Dr Lemon is non sure evidence volition e'er emerge to examine the representative beyond a shadow of doubt.
Perhaps a document mightiness emerge showing that W.M. Drummond in addition to Co. had purchased the loving cup from Telford, ultimately to sell it on to the Victoria Racing Club. However, existing W.M. Drummond records from the 1950s are non precise, he says.
Perhaps the Telford identify unit of measurement may uncover a tape showing where in addition to how he sold the cup.
Phar Lap’s life was ane of drama in addition to intrigue, in addition to Andrew Lemon has played the key purpose inwards a detective flush worthy of a Dick Francis novel – a page-turner with twists in addition to turns aplenty, but inwards which the lastly page cannot yet live written.
Dr Lemon knows how the flush should end, but he is a historian, non a novelist, in addition to tin bargain alone inwards the facts.
“If at that spot is some other story, some other explanation, I can’t quite recollect of one.”
Article outset published on Horsetalk.co.nz inwards October, 2010.
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