One champ to shine as another honoured
AS ONE pacer continues his trajectory towards immortality during the weekend, one of the industry's all-times champions will be remembered.
Already Australasia's richest standardbred and contender for the greatest produced on this side of the equator, Leap To Fame is engaged in Saturday night's Kilmore Cup.
Successful in Ballarat and Cranbourne's flagship events during the past two weeks, Leap To Fame has to extend his winning streak to remain eligible for Harness Racing Victoria's $1million bonus.
In a stellar promotion, the governing body has offered to pay the mouth-watering figure to the connections of any pacer which wins four of six specified features.
Along with Kilmore, next week's A G Hunter Cup in Melton are the remaining legs. with the latter the only race on the circuit that has to be among the four victories.
Trained by Queensland horseman Grant Dixon, Leap To Fame is the sole runner drawn along the back row, and as such, will come from barrier eight.
Later on the card the club will honour a hometown hero - Popular Alm - with a $30,000 sprint bearing his name.
Taken to super stardom by the late Bob Knight and his reinsman son, Vin, Popular Alm is widely-regarded as the measuring stick when it comes to Australasia's greatest pacer.
As fate would have it, Vin became obsessed with Popular Alm and insisted on purchasing the colt after he beat Knight's promising youngster Adios Supreme in Maryborough.
The Knights were so confident Adios Supreme had the race in his keeping, the two-year-old was part of a sizable plunge, only to be well beaten by Popular Alm.
Brian Gath actually trialled Popular Alm with the view of purchasing the son of Sovereign Adios, but was unable to find a client to part with $40,000.
The Knight's had no such worries and bought the youngster from Bendigo breeder, Arthur Pearce, and son-in-law John Mamouney.
With Popular Alm's speed, stamina and mere presence complimenting Vin's flamboyant nature, the two conquered the industry during the next five seasons.
The duo were triumphant in Australia and New Zealand, with their victories including the Miracle Mile, Hunter Cup, Queensland Pacing Championship, two Victoria Cups - known as the Winfield Gold Cup - and of course, two Kilmore Cups in 1981 and '82.
Popular Alm's second win in his local major was from an unprecedented 35 metres and in an Australian record 2:02.8 for the 3038-metre trip.
The stallion also time trialed in a world record 1:53.2 at Moonee Valley on May 13, 1983.
Retired after two starts - both wins - upon his return from suffering a fractured off-hind pastern Popular Alm's record stands at 49 wins, seven seconds, three thirds and earnings of $710,883 from 62 starts.
