Skywalker began racing in
California in 1984 at age two, where he won one of his two starts and was off the board in the other. In his three-year-old campaign, he made five starts, winning twice. His most notable victory came under future
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. when they won the most important
West Coast race for three-year-olds, the
Santa Anita Derby. He was then sent to
Churchill Downs for the
Kentucky Derby, where jockey
Eddie Delahoussaye rode him to a sixth-place finish behind winner
Spend A Buck. In 1986, the four-year-old Skywalker had his best year in racing when he won the
Longacres Mile,
Mervyn Leroy Handicap,
San Diego Handicap, and
Breeders' Cup Classic run at California's
Santa Anita Park. Ridden by Laffit Pincay, Jr., he defeated the heavy favorites
Turkoman (
Pat Day riding) and
Precisionist (
Gary Stevens on board), who finished second and third respectively, as well as the European star
Triptych, who finished sixth. Sent back to race at age five, Skywalker was second in the
Arcadia Handicap and third in the
Goodwood Handicap. ==Stud record==