The name Phar Lap derives from the common Zhuang and Thai word for lightning: ฟ้าแลบ [fáː lɛ̂p], literally 'sky flash'.

Red Rum won the National 3 Times and came runner up twice,  Phar Lap only won the Melbourne Cup once. So was definitely a flash as opposed to a proper Thoroughbred.

10 hours ago, RayWright said:

Red Rum won the National 3 Times and came runner up twice,  Phar Lap only won the Melbourne Cup once. So was definitely a flash as opposed to a proper Thoroughbred.

Read about performance in Mexico shortly before his death :-)

On the subject of famous racehorses, I was living in Sussex (England) when Shergar was stolen and of course it was all over the newspapers and was the talk of the town so to speak.

 

The day before the horse was stolen I had met a new lady and decided to take her out into the countryside and have a nice meal at a country pub, trying to impress!! 

 

We ordered a steak each, along with all the accoutrements, and although the meal looked lovely, the steak was tough, and during the course of the dinner, the conversation led to where we thought Shergar was.....and I quipped, "I think we are eating him".

 

She wasn't impressed!
 

13 hours ago, xylophone said:

On the subject of famous racehorses, I was living in Sussex (England) when Shergar was stolen and of course it was all over the newspapers and was the talk of the town so to speak.

 

The day before the horse was stolen I had met a new lady and decided to take her out into the countryside and have a nice meal at a country pub, trying to impress!! 

 

We ordered a steak each, along with all the accoutrements, and although the meal looked lovely, the steak was tough, and during the course of the dinner, the conversation led to where we thought Shergar was.....and I quipped, "I think we are eating him".

 

She wasn't impressed!
 

Great sense of humour and excellent date idea, better off without her ;-)

 

(Don't tell us she's your wife now!)

8 hours ago, rose33 said:

Great sense of humour and excellent date idea, better off without her ????

 

(Don't tell us she's your wife now!)

Thanks, no not my wife now, but was my girlfriend for a couple of years!!!

 

PS. They never did find Shergar!