The "Colt from the Coalfields" was bred for speed and one of the greatest ever sprinters

Maybe it was because Luskin Star was prepared at a provincial track by a then relatively unknown trainer and ridden by a low-profile jockey, but he was seriously underrated throughout his two-year-old season. A phenomenal racehorse, Luskin Star numbered amongst his wins an outstanding 7 length victory in the 1977 Golden Slipper - a feat unequalled in the 45 years since. Word had obviously spread about the speedy chestnut in Newcastle though and the ‘Colt from the Coalfields’ was soon a cult hero.The colt by Kaoru Star out of the mare Promising (NZ), was consigned to the 1976 Sydney Easter Yearling Sales as Lot 734, but was passed in for $6,500 with a reserve of $8,000. He was later purchased by Newcastle trainer Max Lees for stable clients Mr and Mrs John Balcomb, Don Ninnes and Barry Barnett.

Luskin Star was bred by the O’Neills at Luskintyre Stud and his sire Kaoru Star was a son of Star Kingdom, the grandson of Hyperion. Star Kingdom, was one of the greatest speed horses ever to stand at stud in Australia. His sire, Kaoru Star won 13 sprint races and so did he. Promising, the dam of Luskin Star, was bred in New Zealand and imported to Australia where she won two minor races at Newcastle and Wyong. Her sire Idomeneo is by the well-bred stallion Alycidon. Luskin Star made a remarkable debut in 1976, achieving an extraordinary victory with an exceptionally wide margin in Sydney. He was very quick on his feet, could change direction quickly and quite often he caught his jockey, John Wade by surprise.

Luskin Star showed an effortless galloping style and great speed from his first training sessions at Newcastle's Broadmeadow track. In his debut he won the 2nd division of the Breeders' Plate over 1000 metres at Randwick by 12 lengths, in the very good time of 58.8sec in soft ground. At his next appearance he won the 900-metre Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill, defeating Biscapol by 4 and 1/2 lengths, equalling the race record time of 52.6sec. He jumped sideways at the start and didn’t have any acceleration early, but then he got into his stride and almost broke the track record, despite it being a slow track. He was then spelled until returned to training in February where he won a 900-metre barrier trial at Broadmeadow by 12 lengths. His return to racing was in the 1200 metre Northern Slipper Stakes at Newcastle. Heavy rain was falling prior to the race and trainer Max Lees requested permission from the stewards to scratch the horse - his request was refused. Lee told Johnny Wade not to knock him around, just let him get around safely. Luskin Star ran a solid 2nd to Mistress Anne by 3/4 of a length. 

In his next start, on a dry track at Rosehill on 12 March, he won the 1200 metre Todman Slipper Trial Stakes defeating Mondiso with Pacific Prince running third. In the 1977 Golden Slipper Stakes, Luskin Star shared 11-4 favouritism with the TJ Smith trained Blazing Saddles. Coming from sixth on the home turn, Luskin Star won by 7 lengths from Lloyd Boy and Blazing Saddles, in race record time of 1min 10sec. There is a moment, just after the field turns for home in the 1977 Slipper where the equal favourite Blazing Saddles, (Tommy Smith’s well-bred Blue Diamond Stakes winner) cruises up to the leader Mistress Anne. Jockey Roy Higgins was sitting pretty and looked as confident as a rider could be. Higgins looks across to his left and sees a chestnut flash by, and in two strides the race is over as Luskin Star ran away to take a full second off the race record.

His next start was in the 1400 metre AJC Sires' Produce Stakes where he went to the front from the start, and led on the home turn by 5 lengths, before defeating Bold Zest by 3 lengths with a further 5 lengths to Bensynd in third. The winning time was a new course and Australian record of 1 min 21.5 sec. A week later he completed the Triple Crown for two-year-olds with an easy 6 length win of the 1600m Champagne Stakes, defeating Marceau and Bold Zest. While most two-year-olds would now have gone for a spell, Luskin Star was sent to the Brisbane Carnival in May. Here he won the QTC Sires Produce Stakes as a 10-1 on favourite and nine days later the Marlboro Stakes, surviving a protest by G. Cook, the rider of Gypsy Kingdom. By the end of the season his tally was eight wins from nine starts, five of them at Group 1 level.

Robert Sangster bought the colt as a stallion prospect and gave him to Bart Cummings, who believed Luskin Star was the best two-year-old he had seen, and trained him to four more wins as a three-year-old including the Caulfield Guineas and The Galaxy. As a three-year-old Luskin Star could not quite match the dazzling speed he had shown the previous year. Nevertheless, he was still able to win five of his eight starts including the 1977 VATC Caulfield Guineas and the 1978 AJC The Galaxy. He was then retired, having won 13 of his 17 starts, and being only once unplaced. The chestnut colt Luskin Star was retired to Newhaven Park Stud at Boorowa, NSW. He died in 2002. At stud, Luskin Star was a successful sire, producing 30 stakewinners.

RACE RECORD - 17:13-3-0

STAKE MONEY - $279,600

Breeders' Plate (1976)

Silver Slipper Stakes (1976)

Golden Slipper Stakes (1977)

AJC Sires Produce Stakes (1977)

AJC Champagne Stakes (1977)

QTC Sires Produce Stakes (1977)

Caulfield Guineas (1977)

Expressway Stakes (1978)

Phar Lap Stakes (1978)