Phar Lap T-shirt

The print for this Barkers t-shirt was produced by Greg Straight, an Auckland based graphic designer and illustrator. 

The print features the mounted hide of the famous race-horse Phar Lap, along with the wording 'Made in New Zealand Stuffed in Australia'. The slogan refers to the competing claims of Australia and New Zealand not only on Phar Lap's legend, but the race horse's bodily remains.

Phar Lap started life on a stud farm near Timaru in 1926, but after being spotted by Harry Telford, a New Zealand horse trainer in Sydney, was shipped to Australia in 1928. Two years later, Phar Lap started his legendary string of successes - winning thirty-three of the remaining thirty-five races in his career.

In April 1932 Phar Lap's winning streak came to a sudden end, when he mysteriously died while in the United States. Following his death, his remains were distributed amongst Australian and New Zealand institutions, reflecting the claims of both nations on the iconic race horse. Today, Phar Lap's heart, which at 6.3 kilograms is extraordinarily large by horse standards, is in the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. His mounted hide is on display at the Museum of Victoria in Melbourne, and his skeleton at Te Papa.