Flying down a red-dirt race track, Fab's Cowboy seemed to have hellfire at his hooves as the 12-year-old "bush Phar Lap" broke the record for most wins in a Queensland horse racing career.

The industry legend scored his 52nd victory over the weekend at Mount Isa, eclipsing the previous record of Walk Cool, who won 51 races across central Queensland from 1988 to 1995.

Supporters say it is an incredible feat for old Fab, who is well over the average racehorse retirement age of seven and whose reins will be hung up on his 13th birthday in August.

Jockey Dakota Graham, who rode the gelding to his record-breaking win said it was Fab's love of racing that kept him coming back to the track over the years.

"It really is his heart," she said.

Owner Paul Currin echoed that sentiment.

"He's a strong worker — he loves to race and that's all there is to him, really," he said.

But the king of the bush did not always thrive in the outback.

At birth, Fab's Cowboy was nearly killed by 52-degree Celsius heat and severe drought conditions.

Graham and Mr Currin reflected on the gelding's journey from death's door to dirt-track champion, which included a record of 150 starts for 52 wins and 43 minor placings for prize money of $424,430.

Slow out of the gates

Long-time trainer Bevan "Billy" Johnson remembers thinking young Fab was a goner after his mother abandoned him in blazing heat in a Julia Creek paddock.

"He was dehydrated, overheated — they had to put a drip in him because they didn't think he was going to live," he said.

"That was his first day on the ground.

But with a bit of feeding and care, Fab soon found his legs.

"He had a bad start in racing — he got rolled by some horse that came in under him and so he's always been sheepish about horses cutting back in on him," Mr Currin said.

Remembering who's boss

Mr Currin said a stoic and fiery personality fuelled Fab's success on the track.

"He's a big arrogant, belligerent fella, that's for sure," he said.

"He just loves racing, that's the biggest part.

"He's never been over-pushed — if he's racing on a track he doesn't like, he just pulls up."

Graham said Fab preferred apprentice jockeys.

"They don't try and control him much and just sit back and let him do his thing," she said.

"I was really trying to remember that, which is hard when you're a senior rider.

End of an era

Mr Currin said the rules dictated that Fab must retire when he turns 13, but it would be up to the gelding whether he wanted to continue racing until then.

"When he decides he wants to stop, he'll stop," he said.

Mr Currin said the "worst case scenario" would see Fab retire to "a nice paddock" where he would be well looked after until the end of his days.

But he said there was hope he would be sent to a special pasture for champion horses.

"But we're hoping to get him into Living Legends, because he's racked up quite the following," Mr Currin said.