By MIKE DILLON
To most of us the legendary Phar Lap is just that - a legend of the past.
Not to 86-year-old Turoa Webster, a special guest of the Waikato Racing Club a Te Rapa today.
Webster has a burning memory of the world champion Phar Lap, he sat inside Big Red for most of the 3200m during his stunning 1930 Melbourne Cup victory.
Webster was 16 when rode sixth-placed First Acre in the cup for his father Doug Webster and is the only jockey still living that rode in the race.
"We sat third and fourth until Phar Lap cut loose in the home straight," said the spritely veteran on a visit from his home in Sydney.
"Temptation and Taradale were in front and I was third on the rail with Phar Lap outside me."
And what memory does he retain of one of the great sprints in a century of racing turned on by Phar Lap, who won out of sight.
"When he exploded it was - boom. He was 10 lengths in front in two strides. He was a Machine."
Webster was no green apprentice.
"I started riding at 12 and when I rode in that Cup I'd ridden more than 100 winners. I'd won the Oaks at Ellerslie on Go Ballerina and the North Island Challenge Stakes on My Own and the Manawatu, Napier, Marlborough and Wanganui Cups."
Webster moved to Australia from his native New Zealand and rode good winners in both Sydney and Melbourme before his keenness for a punt saw him disqualified from riding for associating with illegal bookmakers.
"That was in 1944 and I moved back to New Zealand to train. When the Japanese surrendered in 1945 all disqualified people in Australian racing were given their licences back, so I went back to Australia and rode again."
He retired from the saddle in 1949 with 600-700 winners behind him and returned to New Zealand, where he was strongly associatied with another Melbourne Cup, Toporoa's controversial defeat of the mighty Rising Fast.
"I bought Toporoa at the New Zealand yearling sales for 150 guineas and I sold a half share to "Knocker" McDonald, who had hotels in Hastings.
"Toporoa was the worst wind-sucker I've ever seen so I handed him over to Knocker and said "do your best with him." He came back later and bought the other half share off me."
Toporoa was sent to Sydney to be trained by Tommy Smith before he won the Melbourne Cup.
Webster returned to live in Sydney in 1960, trained a few winners then retired at age 65.
"These days I go to the club for a few and have a punt.
"I love a bet, I can't help myself."
Racing: Big Red's explosive Melbourne Cup run more than just a legend
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