Family Star not showing signs retirement is near

By Glenn Davis

North Queensland trainer Graham Hughes dreads the day when he calls time on stable favourite Family Star’s career.

As his name suggests, Family Star has been more like a family pet for Hughes who still dreams the seven-year-old might take him to a feature race in the north.

“I bought him about three months ago off his previous owners who wanted to move him on because they’ve got a few younger horses coming through,” Hughes said.

“Since I’ve owned him he’s won a race and had a few placings.

“He’s going well and I try to keep him around 1200 metres as much as possible, so I’m hoping he can strike form again and get his ratings up to have a crack at the Cleveland Bay Handicap.

“I’ve always liked him and he’s been like a family pet, so it’ll be an emotional time when he does retire one day.”

Family Star was one of North Queensland’s up-and-coming sprinters winning four times between April and August of 2022.

However, he later suffered a hairline fracture of his sesamoid in March last year and has won only one race since.

That win came in his current campaign when he ended an 18-month losing streak by winning a 1200 metre Open Handicap sprint at Townsville’s Cluden Park on February 10.

Since then, Family Star beat one home when sixth in another Open Handicap sprint over 1400 metres at Townsville 10 days later before an improved third behind the Georgie Holt-trained Hurtle at Cluden Park on April 4.

Family Star will step out for his 40th start in the Open Handicap over 1000 metres at Townsville on Tuesday.

“The 1000 metres is not really his go but he’s been freshened since his last run and he’s always a chance in every race,” Hughes said.

The 69-year-old Hughes has been training for half a century and has a team of 12 horses in work.

“I started training when I was 19 but I took four or five years off when I got a bit disillusioned,” he said. 

Hughes once described Family Star as a quirky horse when he used to wear ear muffs and was a handful to look after on race day.

“He was cranky as a young horse but he’s now more content,” he said.

“He used to shiver on race days but he’s not as bad now.

“It used to take three people to saddle him for a race and he was a real handful but he’s a lot quieter these days.”