Tommy Woodcock: Easter Monday, 11th April, 1977

It has been another gloriously sunny day.

International tennis player, Karen Krantze, has collapsed and died, at the age of thirty, in the United States.

“Reckless” won the Sydney Cup, at Randwick Racecourse, this afternoon from “Gold And Black” and “Rhalif”. “Balmerino” ran disappointingly. “Reckless” is trained by Tommy Woodcock, who was the strapper to the legendary “Phar Lap”.

“Phar Lap” was foaled near Timaru, on New Zealand’s South Island, in October of 1926. He was bought at sale by an American businessman and brought to Australia to race. Although the horse’s early career was rather ordinary he was to become a favourite with punters during the early years of the Great Depression. So dominant did his career become, gangsters attempted to shoot him three days before he was to run in the Melbourne Cup of 1930. A race he duly won carrying 9st 12lb (61.5 kg or 138lb).

In fact, “Phar Lap” was to win thirty-two of his last thirty-five races; being beaten narrowly in two of the other three and finishing eighth in the Melbourne Cup of 1931, when burdened with the impost of 10st 10lb (68kg).

Despite the protestations of “Phar Lap’s” trainer, Harry Telford, the champion was literally hoisted aboard a ship and transported to America. Harry refused to accompany him.

“Phar Lap” was entered to contest the Agua Caliente Handicap, in Tijuana, Mexico. The competitors were vying for the largest amount of prizemoney ever offered for a horserace in North America, and it was “Phar Lap” who collected the bulk of it when he carried 129lb (58.5 kg) to win in a time that broke the previous record.

“Phar Lap” was returned to California, where on the 5th of April, in 1932 Tommy Woodcock found the champion writhing in agony in his stall. He haemorrhaged to death some hours later.

Conjecture still abounds as to the cause of “Phar Lap’s” sudden demise, but as his stomach and intestines were found to be inflamed, poisoning, whether deliberate or by accidental means, has always remained to the fore.

“The Bugs Bunny Show” and “The Flintstones” were screened on television, late this afternoon. On “Willesee”, on Channel Seven, at 7.00 p.m., there is a segment devoted to the fact that seventy-five Australians have lost their lives to road accidents this Easter. In another item a leader of nudists, in Echuca, tells of how he twice tried sex, but did not like it. He is a former scoutmaster.

This evening’s edition of “A Big Country”, from eight o’clock, on Channel Two , is about transcendental meditation and how it is hoped it will overcome Mount Isa’s growing problem, centred upon its level of unemployment, by 1980. Mount Isa is a town, of thirty-three thousand inhabitants, in North Queensland, which is largely dependent upon the industry of mining.

Episode 12 of “Rich Man, Poor Man: Book 2” is being shown, on Channel Seven, from half past eight.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *