New Zealand’s most famous racehorse Phar Lap is about to have his DNA sequenced. But this doesn’t mean he will be able to be cloned.
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa houses the famous thoroughbred’s skeleton. Staff there have taken part of his teeth and sent it to the University of Sydney so his genetic history can be unraveled.
The piece of tooth was 5mm long and weighed just 60 micrograms.
It is hoped that the DNA will show why he was so dominant on the racetrack.
Phar Lap Facts
Phar Lap (1926–1932) was a champion racehorse whose achievements captured the public’s imagination during the early years of the Great Depression. Foaled in New Zealand, he was trained and raced in Australia by Harry Telford.
Phar Lap dominated Australian racing winning a Melbourne Cup, two Cox Plate’s, an AJC Derby, and 19 other weight for age races. Phar Lap died in 1932. At the time, he was the third highest stakes-winner in the world.
His mounted hide is displayed at the Melbourne Museum, his skeleton at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and his heart at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
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6 Responses
Erm… Maybe it was the right breed, and fed plenty of sugar lumps?
I have a love for horses, and hearing this is so sad! I think that he was a champion and it is to bad that he cannot be cloned. Well, clones tend to die 7 years before their original because their genetics are not as strong because they are a clone of the original animal/person. I am sad to read this article because I have read many about him but never anything as said of this!
-Millie
I think they should clone it.
If they do I want it.
I hope they clone him
:):) that would be awesome 🙂 🙂
he died because someone put poision in his food 🙂
He was a champion because the trainer and jockey was awesome