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If you happen to be at Royal Randwick in AUS this weekend, don't miss the screening of this rare film found recently.
17/09/2014 Sep 17 2014
Members of the Australian Turf Club will view a rare piece of racing history on Saturday, with the only documentary ever made of one of Australia's greatest ever racehorses while he was still alive screened at Royal Randwick.
The Mighty Conqueror – a ten-minute film about Phar Lap completed in late 1931 – will be played continuously throughout George Main Stakes Day inside the former Secretary's Room near the Heritage Gallery inside the Officials Grandstand from midday to 4pm.
The screening of the documentary comes after the canister containing the original 35mm nitrate film was uncovered by the doyen of Sydney racing media, Max Presnell, which he donated to the Australian Turf Club.
The Club in turn passed on the film to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), which recognised its cultural and historical significance, and it is now preserved by the NFSA in its audiovisual collection. The film features close ups of Phar Lap being "modelled'' by his legendary strapper Tommy Woodcock, rare footage at trackwork, and includes interviews with several of the most important people in his story, including jockey Jim Pike and trainer and co-owner Harry Telford.
Phar Lap is also filmed winning several races, including his famous 1930 Melbourne Cup, and the 1931 Randwick Plate, run on 10 October 1931.
That latter event, a two-horse race as no local trainer was prepared to run against Phar Lap in a weight for age race, is the only known footage of the race and the last time the "Red Terror'' would run at a Sydney race meeting.
The Mighty Conqueror finishes with Phar Lap being loaded on to the Ulimaroa at Sydney docks in November 1931, bound for a spell in New Zealand, before his voyage to the USA and a date with destiny in the Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico.
Although the NFSA already had prints of The Mighty Conqueror in its collection, these were just 'safety film' copies that had been made from an elusive original nitrate.
It is believed the 35mm nitrate print found by Max Presnell may be the original source of the copies held in the NFSA's collection.
The film was produced by Neville Macken with the help of pioneer female filmmaker Paulette McDonagh.
Australian Turf Club Heritage Society officer Margaret Helback said the film was a stunning piece of the history of Sydney racing and Royal Randwick.
"This is indeed one of the more rare pieces of racing history we have ever come across and we are very grateful for Max's help and also the NFSA for taking ownership of it for future generations,'' Ms Helback said.
NFSA CEO Michael Loebenstein said: "We are grateful for this kind donation from the Australian Turf Club, which will now be preserved at Australia's 'living archive'.
"The acquisition of this 35mm nitrate film print of The Mighty Conqueror is of particular significance to our sporting film holdings as it is unique to any collection, both in Australia or abroad.''
The Australian Turf Club has moved the Phar Lap memorial at Royal Randwick on Saturday to a new home.
Inscribed "A Nobel Horse", the memorial meant much to Noel Hickey, who for many years laid a wreath at the stone decorated with red, black and white ribbons (the colours of Phar Lap's silks).
The Phar Lap memorial is in the gardens just beyond the Theatre Of The Horse.
By ATC - Photo: AP
