This is the 40th running of the Golden Nugget. I was privileged to have got a free flight to Perth on the Ansett Air Freight Locheed Electra chartered by the WATA to bring over the four "Eastern Staters". Those four were the ultimate winner Justin Hanover and trainer Tony Peacock, Tiger Apollo (Don Guy), Crystal Glenmar (George Turner) and Sydneysider Allears (Reg Wilkes). I escorted a couple of NZ purchases, a 2yo colt and a 3yo gelding bound for Phil Coulson and Fred Kersley respectively.
The format for the series was like a mini Inter-Dominion; two rounds of heats and the $30,000 final. It was sponsored by Channel Nine, so media coverage was huge. It was really the first proper 4yo national feature. This was during the days of Ray Holloway's management of the WATA and the crowds were huge.
It was a pity they couldn't lure another Eastern States 4yo named Gammalite onto the plane, it would have been an even bigger event. Twelve months later I went back to Perth for the real Inter-Dominion series where another horse of that same, now 5 year old, crop named Popular Alm drew the crowds. But that is another story for another time!