Museum acquires 1934 Melbourne Cup

In 1934 a horse called Peter Pan stopped the nation when he defied the odds and won his second Melbourne Cup.

The story behind the chestnut horse, one of only five to win two Melbourne Cups, will be showcased at the National Museum of Australia that on Thursday acquired the 1934 cup.
The Australian thoroughbred won his first Melbourne Cup as a three-year-old colt in 1932 but was deemed unfit to contest the race in 1933 after suffering a near fatal viral disease that swept Sydney's racing stables.
In 1934 Peter Pan became a household name when at odds of 14/1 he took out the Melbourne Cup by four lengths - this time as a five-year-old horse ridden by Darby Munro.
The grandson of Peter Pan's owner Rodney Dangar on Thursday parted with the cup which had been locked in a family bank vault for the past 30 years.
Tim Ritchie, 55, said the only time the cup had seen the light of day during that time was at the 2004 Melbourne Cup.
"The story of Peter Pan was family folklore but the cup itself was never around the family home," Mr Ritchie said.
"The cup has been kept in a bank vault for the last 30 years.
"I think it's time that the cup sees the light of day."
Museum curator Laina Hall said Peter Pan's cup represents a very special period of racing in Australia.
"He was up there with Phar Lap, in the 1930s he was a household name so it fits really neatly into that 1930s fascination with racing," she said.
She said a Melbourne Cup is a very unique acquisition.
"Melbourne Cups don't come up for offer very often, it's such an honour to have won one that people tend to hold onto them."
The 1934 cup closely reflects the current design - a three-handled gold cup - that is worth $80,000 at 2007 prices.
Manager of collections at the museum Mathew Trinca said you cannot place a dollar value on a cup that has so much history behind it.
"The cup has great intrinsic value because of the amount of gold that is used in the construction but it also has a value that far exceeds that," he said.
The cup will be showcased along side Phar Lap's heart - the most frequented object at the museum.