anyone remember popular alms first start in the S.A. derby?

yes.
some bet 100's it is believed.
moral beat.
i think it was the only time gamma beat poppy in all there clashes.
will always be the best horse i have ever seen.
20years ahead of his time.

Never saw him run but must have watched the tape of his Kilmore Cup win 2000 times.
Freak.

don't rate him at all cos he had the best drugs
testing was archaic in those days....the best "trainers" had the best chemists

So in what years would say that we can rate horses Village?

strange thing to say village
you don't rate a horse that in general opinion is
by far the best horse ever to race in this country?
spose you don't rate phar lap either?
or maybe a bad horse with hobby trainer is the best horse to ever race?

Poppy raced as a 2yo.Gammalite beat him in 83 inter final.Won 15 in a row.Once started at 100-1 on which I think is a record!

definitely best pacer i've ever seen. freak acceleration. poor old gammalite would have been spoken of in same terms if popular alm hadn't come along.

VK............. GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR A*S, POPPY was the greatest I've ever seen and will ever see.... A MACHINE. I was there that night in SA, was the best thing beat you have ever seen. Gammalite only ever beat POPPY twice. The SA Derby night and the Interdom Final in Auckland. OTHERWISE POPPY used to smack him all the time. POPPY's equal best wins in my opinion was the MMile at HP when POPPY sat outside Gammalite and smacked him after the stable mate of Gammalite (Bill's Student) Held out POPPY then handed front to Gammalite. POPPY hammered Gammalite into the ground that night, It was awesome to watch. Another POPPY win when he won the Italian Cup at MV after 18months off from a fractured pastern. I witnessed most of POPPY's wins all around Australia and NZ.

themaster007

(P.S Elsu was very close to the Camp in those days)

When will people learn VK is just a stirrer.Caught another one.But Master I do agree Poppy was an excitement machine.What an action he had,a joy to watch.Remember when he returned from his broken leg and blitzed 'em-'Welcome back Poppy he's done it again'.Brings a tear to the eye!

EVERYONE HAS GOT THERE FAVORITES
BUT  POPPY WAS THE BEST IVE HAVE SEEN IN AUSTRALIA
AND MAORIS IDOL WAS THE BEST TROTTER

speaking of Maori's Idol has anyone heard the call of its first start

Greg Radley has played it on occasions - it's classic

The replay of this derby is on one of those Mike Dickinson Harness racing compilation sets that came out last year, the whole set is magnificent.

Had met the owners of Gammalite when I was at still school just before he raced at 2. They said how they thought he was special. So I followed him from day one and as a young kid  he was my favourite. When Poppy came along he was the evil nemesis. In a fictional world the bad guy is not supposed to win something like 15 times to 2. Poppy was a freak, the best I have ever seen. As highlighted above his miracle mile win was amazing as K Robinson had Gammalite flying and Bills student was a help also.

Back to the derby it was quite a good derby field for an SA derby. Down the back the last time Gammalite was in the breeze and Poppy was near last. Vin Knight let Poppy rip, but he didn't seem to handle the track. he was absolutely storming but going rough at the same time. He only missed by about 5 metres. Their year was full of tremendous horses, as they say it was a vintage crop. Horses such as: San Simeon, Romantic Chris, Under a Cloud, Out for Glory, Justin Hanover, Tonka Apollo, Quambys Pride, Action Advice, Crystal Glenmar.

From Wikipedia:

Racing record

Making his racing debut as a two year old Popular Alm had raced only five times before being sold for $40,000 to clients of Kilmore based trainer Bob Knight.[2] Making his debut for Knight in the 1980 South Australian Pacing Derby at Globe Derby Park, Popular Alm was the subject of a betting plunge. He was backed from 33/1 to 9/4 but finished second behind fellow Victorian Gammalite.[3]

San Simeon was a bit before Poppy and Gammalite.I think he went to U.S in '82?

San Simeon same year as Gammalite and Poppy. He beat Gammalite in both the WA and Australian derby both run at GP when he strolled to the front after Gammalite drew the car park after a long float trip across the Nullabor.

From Wikipedia:

San Simeon (horse)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
San Simeon is a pacer from Western Australia best known for his Australasian record winning sequence of 29 races from his first start as a two year old until his defeat by Michael Frost during the 1981 Interdominion series in Hobart, Tasmania.
San Simeon
Sire:    Captain Hook
Dam:    Leyoro Lass
Sire of Dam:    Leyoro
Sex:    Stallion
Colour:    Bay
Foaled:    1976
Country:    Australia
Breeder:    L Porter
Record:    39:33-2-1, 1:59
First raced:    1978
Last raced:    1983
Prizemoney:    $383799
San Simeon began his racing career on November 11, 1978 at Bunbury, 175 kilometres south of Perth. He immediately began his 29 race winning sequence by winning all 10 starts as a two year old including the WA Golden Slipper and WA Champagne Stakes. He was voted Australian 2yo of the year for 1978/9, and the $50162 he earned that season was a new Australian record for a horse of his age.

As a three year old San Simeon raced only six times but recorded a win at each start. He defeated Victorian visitor Gammalite in the Western Australian Derby and then beat him comfortably in the Australian Derby. Both races were held at Gloucester Park in Perth. San Simeon was voted Australian 3yo of the year and his record now stood at 16 wins from 16 starts.
San Simeon begun the 1980/1 season with a win at Harvey on September 13. On the 5th of December 1980 he equalled the Australasian record winning streak of 24 wins held by Maori's Idol and Lucky Creed by winning at Fremantle. He then set a new record of 25 wins on December 12 by winning the WA 4yo Classic. San Simeon then raced against the top open class horses for the first time in the Western Australian Pacing Cup series. As a relatively inexperienced four year old he was well handicapped with established stars Koala King and Satinover giving him starts of 20m and 15m respectively. After winning both his heats he won the final on January 2, 1981 defeating King Carramar and Local Mark.
The Interdominion was being held in Hobart for the first time and the relatively small circumference of the showgrounds circuit and handicap conditions may have contributed to the non-appearance of Satinover, Locarno, Delightful Lady and Gammalite and the poor performances by New Zealand trained horses during the series. Koala King, the winner the previous year, was injured. San Simeon won the slowest of three one mile heats on the first night to extend his sequence to 29 but the record went no further after he was defeated by Michael Frost on night two. "Very, very relieved"[1] said trainer-driver Lou Austin regarding the defeat. After a third night win he was much too good for Single Again and Ardstraw in the final winning by 10 metres in track record time. Veteran Pure Steel, competing in an Interdominion for the fifth time, finished fourth after conceding the winner 15m under the handicap conditions. He was voted Australian Harness Horse of the Year for season 1980/1 and was also Australian Grand Circuit Champion.
Following the Interdominion win San Simeon was invited to take part in a World Cup series at The Meadowlands in the United States during 1982. He won two races at Gloucester Park later in 1981 before heading overseas. In America San Simeon failed to win in three starts and returned home to Western Australia. He made two further starts without winning and was retired to stud. During his career he also won the WA 4&5yo Championship twice and the 2yo leg of the WA Triple Crown.

The caller of the South Austalian derby this night was none other than SA's trotts caller of the time, Bruce McAvaney.

oooohhhh ....Than Thimeon... DELICIOUS.

You're right Luck.Memory is fading.Seems San Simeon's career was done and dusted before Poppy's got going.

DA that was quite interesting I don't think Poppy and San Simeon ever clashed even though they were born in the same year and both dominated.

Also what was interesting was that Gammalite didn't race in an inter series until he was 6, when he won in NZ and then followed up winning the following year in SA(beating Elsu's horse) and then the following year as an 8yo his last ever run was 4th in the final in Melb to Preux chevalier and village kid.

And San S had already won an inter dominion by 1981.I think that's why he seems older.

Was the pastie man doing his thing in these days>?

yes he would have been there then, do know someone who had the option to buy him but they put the price up 10k ad deal was being done think still was a cheap one!!!!!! at that