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The 1970’s began with a brilliant precocious colt called Baguette winning the Golden Slipper. The decade was one for fillies and geldings, but like the diamond that gave Baguette his name, the colts that won in the 70’s were largely shining lights. Baguette won the Golden Slipper en route to the 2yo Triple Crown, and also gave legendary jockey, George Moore, his first victory in the race. The colt became the highest earning 2yo in Australian racing history at the time. Baguette went on to race on thirty one occasions, a feat that would be unheard of in the modern era for a Slipper winner. As an older horse he won a VRC Newmarket, a Doomben 10,000 and a George Main Stakes over 1600m in a career that resulted in 14 Group victories and a Horse of the Year Title. Baguette was by the son of Nasrullah in Rego. Rego had won two stakes races in the UK, and was a quality 2yo running seven times at that age winning the Epsom Plate. He sire, Nasrullah was the Aga Khan’s Champion sire and racehorse who, apart from being Champion 2yo in the UK, was also Champion sire there before going to the US where he won the Sires title four times. Baguette’s dam was Dark Jewel, a daughter of Star Kingdom, who went on to become one of Australia’s greatest broodmares. As well as producing Baguette, Dark Jewel also produced another four individual stakes winners. Heirloom, also be Rego, Betelguese, by Wilkes, Cabochon, by Edmundo and Birthright, another full sister to Baguette, all were stakes winners in an incredible result for the family. Baguette coincidentally was the mare’s eighth live foal, and the last of her stakes winners. Dark Jewel can still be found in the direct female line of such horses as Danglissa, Vionnneto, Academe and Spinning Hill. Dark Jewel traces back to an imported British mare called Elsie. One of her daughters, Eily by Wallace was the great grand dam of Dark Felt, the champion racehorse of the 1940’s and 1943 Melbourne Cup winner. This branch of the family also produced perhaps the most memorable of all Champions of the Australian Turf, in the legendary Gunsynd. Dark Jewel herself was by Star Kingdom, out of a mare by the Hurry On stallion, Excitement. In Baguette’s pedigree, the closest duplication is Gainsborough, the sire of Solario and Hyperion who in turn is the grand sire of Star Kingdom. We also see a number of lines of The Tetrarch, and perhaps most interestingly multiple lines of Canterbury Pilgrim through her sons Chaucer and Swynford. At stud Baguette proved to be a good sire producing 18 stakes winners including Hit It Benny, I Like Diamonds, Fiancee and Golden Slipper winner, Dark Eclipse. Perhaps most of his longevity as a sire though comes from his Todman Slipper Trial winner, Crown Jester who went on to produce 13 stakes winners of his own, including two Golden Slipper winners in Rory’s Jester and Guineas. The 1972 winner, John’s Hope was the last horse to win over the imperial distance of six furlongs. In doing so he also equalled the race record. John’s Hope was a son of Wilkes, like another Slipper winner in Vain. Also like Vain, in terms of pedigree we see that Wilkes was by the tail male line of Fairway, a son of Phalaris and Scapa Flow. We see that both dams trace to a tail male line of a full brother to Phalaris in Pharos. He was out of a daughter of Damtar, a son of Pharis by Pharos, called Friction. Friction hails from a good NZ female family that brought us the 1960 Melbourne Cup winner, Hi Jinx. In more recent times, the female family has been responsible for such Group winners as Mr Tiz, Count Chivas, Never Quit and Maroofity. The great Hong Kong sprinter Silent Witness also is from this female family. At stud, John’s Hope was a solid performer, siring eleven stakes winners. These included the Stradbroke winner, and multiple AJC Galaxy winner, Grey Receiver and the Doncaster, All Aged Stakes and Railway winner, My Gold Hope. He is becoming increasingly difficult to find in modern pedigrees, although stakes winners like Byzance Star, Shags, Super Groove and Taikun all owe their heritage to this Golden Slipper winner. The only other colt to win during the 1970’s was the 1977 winner, and perhaps one of the most brilliant ever, Luskin Star. The colt won the Slipper by seven lengths in a stunning time of 1.10.0. He went on to become the first colt since Baguette to win the 2yo Triple Crown, and also won the Caulfield Guineas, Expressway Stakes and AJC Galaxy later in his career. In total, Luskin Star won 13 of his 17 starts, and never finished out of the placings. Luskin Star was a son of the good galloper, Kaoru Star who was by the sensational Star Kingdom. He was out of the Idomeneo mare, Promising. Idomeneo was by Alycidon, out of a Tudor Minstrel mare, Arietta who also produced the good gallopers and stallions, Romulus and Sostenuto. Alycidon was out of a Hyperion mare, and interestingly Arietta saw Hyperion in her tail male line. Combined with the presence of Hyperion as the grand sire of Star Kingdom, the influence of Hyperion appears an important factor in the pedigree of Luskin Star. At stud, Luskin Star was among the most highly sought after first season sires to that point. He had been syndicated to stand at stud, and his first crop immediately brought results with Corona Miss, Covetous, Fiesta Star and Lover all winning stakes races. In total, Luskin Star would sire 30 stakes winner including Nick’s Joy, Bold Promise, Midnight Fever and Mother Duck. His sons went on to solid success with Covetous, Trustful, Swiftly Carson, Rise ‘n’ Shine, Fiesta Star and Paint The Town all siring numerous winners. Nevertheless, it is through the progeny of his daughters that Luskin Star will be best remembered. They have gone on to produce such outstanding gallopers and sires as Strategic, Clang and Shovhog who will all continue to play a role for many generations. Recent Slipper winner, Stratum also sees Luskin Star as his damsire as does another emerging stallion in Fubu. A second generation of his daughters includes stakes winners Nova Star, Miss Pennymoney and another Golden Slipper winner in Merlene ensuring his longevity in modern pedigrees. Although only few colts won during the 1970’s, it was perhaps one of the peak times for the influence of the race on the Australian breed. Luskin Star and Baguette remain two important names in the modern thoroughbred, and their 2yo form was simply breathtaking.