An iconic horse. A remarkable sculpture. A chance to give back to rural New Zealand.
The racing industry is being encouraged to get behind a one of a kind Phar Lap sculpture being auctioned to support the vital work of the Rural Support Trust.
The striking piece, handcrafted entirely from horseshoes by acclaimed New Zealand blacksmith artist Jamie Thomas of JT Sculptures, will be auctioned as part of the 2026 Rural Industry Leaders fundraising dinner, debate and auction on the opening night of Fieldays.
The sculpture pays tribute to one of the most legendary racehorses in Australasian history. Standing 2.6 metres tall and weighing 300 kilograms, the Phar Lap sculpture took Thomas roughly three months to create and features a zinc hot dip finish designed to last more than 170 years.
“Phar Lap is an Australasian icon and arguably the most famous and controversial racehorse in history. I chose Phar Lap because of his incredible story and its strong Kiwi background and international connections,” says Jamie Thomas of JT Sculptures.
Thomas, a self-taught blacksmith artist and mechanical engineer originally raised on a sheep and beef farm in the King Country, has become internationally recognised for his large scale horseshoe sculptures, with around 80 percent of his work now exported overseas.
“Over the past four years my work has raised roughly $150,000 NZD for national charities such as the Rural Support Trust thanks to the 2025 Rural Industry Leaders event, Women’s Refuge and Breast Cancer New Zealand. I am extremely proud of this and it gives me great pleasure being able to give back to causes that mean a lot to me personally.”
“Being able to help people, especially farmers, through my work is the biggest highlight. After all farmers are the backbone of this country, we need the farmers,” concludes Thomas.
At the inaugural 2025 Rural Industry Leaders event, Thomas’ sculpture Rock and a Hard Place raised $85,000 for Rural Support Trust on the night with a whopping $300k raised in total.
“We were blown away by the response last year with a remarkable turn out of leading rural companies and business leaders coming together for the benefit of Rural Support Trust’s important work,” says Mike Green, Rural Industry Leaders co-founder.
For inquiries about bidding on the Phar Lap sculpture please contact:
Mike Green
E: mike@ruralindustryleaders.nz
M: 027 242 5095
Take part in the auction on the night from 8.30pm on Wednesday 10 June via bidr: https://bidr.co.nz/rural-support-trust
Lots from the live auction can be viewed here: www.ruralindustryleaders.nz
An online auction with over 60 wonderful rural, lifestyle and farming items from water troughs, seeds to motorbikes can be bid on here www.ruralindustryleaders.nz or accessed by the below QR code.
Article c/o Rural Support Trust
