Celebrating Bart Cummings

Barely anyone in Australian racing speaks of racing, and especially the Melbourne Cup, without the name ‘Bart’ entering the conversation. The numbers alone are still amazing – 12 Melbourne Cup wins, 13 Australian Cups, 268 Group 1 victories, more than 7,000 winners overall – but his impact goes beyond the numbers.

Cummings was born in Adelaide in 1927, the son of trainer Jim Cummings, who prepared Comic Court to win the 1950 Melbourne Cup. Bart, then in his early twenties, strapped the horse on the day. By the time he was granted his own trainer’s licence in 1953, he had already absorbed years of hands-on experience. He saddled his first Melbourne Cup runner in 1958, and by 1965 had won the race with Light Fingers. The following year, he trained the quinella with Galilee and Light Fingers, establishing the pattern that would come to define his career – a long-range preparation aimed specifically at Cup Week, and horses that peaked at precisely the right moment.

Cummings’ reputation grew with each spring. In 1967, Galilee became the first and only horse to win the Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup and Sydney Cup in the same season. By the mid-1970s, Cummings had built a stable that dominated the Melbourne spring, winning Cup quinellas five times and collecting major trophies with horses such as Think Big, Gold and Black, Hyperno and Kingston Rule. His wins were not limited to stayers. He trained sprinters, milers and two-year-olds with equal authority, winning four Golden Slippers, five Cox Plates, seven Caulfield Cups and thirteen Australian Cups.

His stables at Randwick and later Flemington were known for their calm atmosphere, consistent routines and steady progression of horses from one level to the next.

Cummings had an instinctive sense of timing and placement, and his horses were rarely rushed.

Many improved out of sight under his care – not only champions, but also good, honest gallopers that he could keep sound, fit and happy for long campaigns.

By the 1980s and 1990s, his place in the sport was established. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame and made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1982. He trained many of his biggest winners in partnership with owners such as Dato Tan Chin Nam, and worked with leading jockeys including Roy Higgins, Harry White, Darren Beadman and Greg Hall.

His Melbourne Cup winners form a record that is unlikely to be matched.

From Light Fingers to Viewed in 2008, the list spans more than four decades. Let’s Elope, Saintly, Rogan Josh, Efficient, So You Think and others added depth and variety to his stable. He trained stayers that could carry weight, back up quickly, and deliver under pressure. He also trained entire Cup preparations from the spelling paddock through to the post-race press conference – a method increasingly rare in modern racing.

His son Anthony and grandson James trained alongside him for years, and James continues the family tradition with much success – recently announcing he will be taking up a training position in Hong Kong.

Ten years on, Bart’s Melbourne Cup record remains untouched. It is not just the number of wins, but the way he approached the race – and racing as a whole – that left such a lasting impression.

His methods shaped generations of trainers. His results defined an era. And the Cup, more than any other race, still feels like his.