Melbourne filmmaker Kerry Negara has embarked on a lifelong journey exploring the story of Phar Lap, the legendary Australian racehorse. Negara inherited strands of Phar Lap’s tail hair from Tommy Woodcock’s family, which were used by a French lab to sequence Phar Lap’s genome, potentially revealing the genetic secrets behind his extraordinary athleticism. While genome testing is increasingly common in horse breeding, Negara is cautious about cloning and is considering how best to share access to the genome with breeders and researchers. Her deep connection to Phar Lap’s history also led her to investigate controversies surrounding the horse’s death, including claims that the heart displayed at the National Museum of Australia (NMA) is not Phar Lap’s but that of a draught horse, a theory supported by interviews and forensic evidence.

Negara co-produced the award-winning podcast Killing Phar Lap: A Forensic Investigation, which delves into the mysterious circumstances of Phar Lap’s death and the possible involvement of his veterinarian. Despite efforts to DNA test the heart at the NMA, the project was abruptly halted in 2021, with the museum citing scientific limitations in extracting usable DNA from the formalin-preserved specimen. Negara disputes this explanation, suggesting institutional reluctance to fully resolve the mystery. The story of Phar Lap remains a powerful cultural touchstone in Australia, with ongoing public fascination and new media projects aiming to uncover and share the truth behind the horse’s legacy and death.