A piece of Phar Lap's tooth is being sent to Australia from New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa, so scientists can analyse his DNA and compare it to the likes of other champion race horses such as Black Caviar.
Phar Lap's bones are housed in New Zealand but a 60mg piece of the 1930s champion thoroughbred's tooth has been sent over for DNA sequencing.
"We're creating a DNA sequence which we hope can be used for different studies comparing the DNA from different breeds," Natasha Hamilton from the University of Sydney's veterinary science faculty told AAP on Wednesday.
"We'd also like to compare Phar Lap's sequence with other elite performers from the modern era."
Phar Lap's skeleton is on display in Wellington, his hide in Melbourne and his heart in Canberra.
