The installation - comprising hundreds of handcrafted poppies made from Australian wool - served to mark not only 100 years of the Light Horse but also the hard work of philanthropist Bill Gibbins.

"I was looking to do something with poppies because it's relevant to the Light Horse and what Bill had been doing," Ms Lucas said.

"I wanted to show our appreciation to him for getting the Jericho Cup up and running in its fourth year and what a terrific event it was for Warrnambool the city as well as the racing club.

"It's just a little nod to the effort they put in the project and their passion for all things Light Horse. The red poppies represent fallen soldiers, while the few purple ones are a tribute to the animals that died."

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She said the installation was the work of countless volunteers.

"It took nearly all this year to complete," she said.

"I got a whole lot of poppies from the Woolsthorpe Country Women's Association ladies who had made some for Remembrance Day. Everyone hopped in when I called for poppies - I thought it would be interesting to see just how much people had done and I was astounded.

"They did a lot and all their friends wanted to do it, so it was an easy sell. I'm overwhelmed because it looks fantastic.

"My friends in our sewing group popped in and started knitting and crocheting, so it sort of turned into a project. Without having to ask twice, everyone was really with the program."

The display was placed just behind the turnstiles in the morning, before later being mounted on the stage.

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