Bush Phar Lap Fab’s Cowboy travels more than three times around the world in ‘pretty incredible’ racing career

Fab’s Cowboy has travelled more than three times around the world in trucks and floats and has raced almost the equivalent of five Olympic marathons.

Ben Dorries

2 min read

July 24, 2024 - 7:00AM

Horse Racing

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Fab’s Cowboy is the bush Phar Lap who has travelled more than three times around the world and run the equivalent of almost five Olympic marathons in his races.

In his 158 starts, there hasn’t been many spots in the Queensland bush where Fab’s Cowboy hasn’t laid down his marker.

Part-owner Paul Currin has spent weeks trying to work out exactly how far the racing freak has travelled on trucks and floats to get to race tracks from Roma to Cunnamulla to Charters Towers and everything far and wide.
He reckons he has counted up about 147,000km – more than three times around the world.

“It was always a marvel how ‘Cowboy’ could get on a truck and have a four or five or eight-hour trip and still perform,” Currin said.

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“It’s probably really testament to the preparation that Billy (trainer Bevan Johnson) gives the horses and his care for the horses.

“He never leaves his horses on the truck for too long without a walk around for at least half an hour, or a rest in a stable.

“Travelling more than three-and-a-half times around the world is pretty incredible.

“I should add, there are other kilometres that he has travelled, I have just counted up his major trips that I know of.”

In his races, Fab’s Cowboy has clocked up 202,651 metres.

That’s more than 202km and not far off the equivalent of running five Olympic marathons.

Fab’s Cowboy is the bush Phar Lap who has travelled more than three times around the world on trucks and floats.

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The 12-year-old warhorse has one more trip to make to the races, due to make the 107km trip from his stable at Barcaldine to race at Longreach on Saturday.

And when he gets to Longreach, he has another 1200m of racing before he waltzes off into retirement as one of the most incredible and iconic horses that Australian racing has ever seen.

For the record, the tracks that Fab’s Cowboy has recorded his 54 wins at are: Roma (10), Gladstone (8), Charleville (7), Mount Isa (5), Moranbah (4), Bundaberg (3), Blackall (3), Barcaldine (3), Cunnamulla (2), Gympie (1), Goondiwindi (1), Longreach (1), Miles (1), Clermont (1), Bluff (1), Emerald (1), Wondai (1) and Charters Towers (1).

Not many horses have a race named after them while they are still racing.

But Fab’s Cowboy will have the honour of having his last start in the Farewell Fab’s Cowboy – Birdcage Sprint Open Plate (1200m) at Longreach.

Originally published as Bush Phar Lap Fab’s Cowboy travels more than three times around the world in ‘pretty incredible’ racing career