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Bart Cummings (James Bartholomew Cummings), also known as the Cups King, who lived from November 1927 until his death on August 30, 2015, is widely regarded as the most successful Australian racehorse trainer of all time.
He earned the nickname after winning the Melbourne Cup (Australia's most prestigious horse race, also known as 'the race that stops a nation') an unprecedented 12 times.
Let's take a closer look at some of his incredible stats as a horse trainer and most notable personal honours.
Who was Bart Cummings?
Bart Cummings was an Australian thoroughbred horse owner and breeder who started out as a thoroughbred horse race trainer.
He was born in Adelaide in 1927 and, throughout his life, won some of the country's most significant horse racing events.
Career wins
He will always be remembered for winning the Melbourne Cup on 12 separate occasions with 11 horses, but that wasn't all he won. Here are some of his biggest career wins:
- Race: Melbourne Cup. Wins: 12
- Race: Caulfield Cup. Wins: 7
- Race: Newmarket Handicap. Wins: 8
- Race: Australian Cup. Wins: 13
- Race: Golden Slipper. Wins:
- Race: VRC Oaks. Wins: 9
- Race: Cox Plate. Wins: 5
On a personal level, one of Cummings' most notable honours includes receiving the Order of Australia, which recognises Australian citizens for their outstanding achievements.
He has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the Australia Racing Hall of Fame.
He featured in the top 100 Australian National Treasure List, and his image has appeared on an Australian Post Postage Stamp. There's also a Victoria Racing Club Group 3 Thoroughbred horse Race named after him simply called The Bart Cummings.
When is the next Melbourne Cup?
The next Melbourne Cup, where Cummings had his most success, will be held on November 5 at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria.
If you live in Australia and want the latest horse racing odds & results for events in Australia and from around the world, one of the most trusted Australian online sportsbooks you can turn to in 2024 is Unibet.
As soon as the Melbourne Cup odds are released, this will be one of the first websites to publish them. It's well-known for offering some of the iGaming industry's most competitive Melbourne Cup odds and is fully licensed and regulated to accept real money wagers from Australians aged 18 or above.
The upcoming 2024 Melbourne Cup is expected to start at 3 pm, and some of the most likely runners this year will be the 2023 winner Without a Doubt, as well as Soulcombe, Vauban, Circle of Fire, Tower of London, Middle Earth, and The Map, to name a few.
What were Bart Cumming's most significant Melbourne Cup winners?
Incredibly, Cummings trained both the winning horse and runner-up in the Melbourne Cup on several occasions - in 1965 (when Light Fingers won), 1966 (when Galilee won), 1974 and 1975 (when Think Big had back-to-back wins), and in 1991 (when Let's Elope won).
He also won the Melbourne Cup in 1967 with Red Handed, in 1977 with Gold and Black, in 1979 with Hyperno, in 1990 with Kingstone Rule, in 1996 with Saintly, in 1999 with Rogan Josh, and, for the last time, in 2008, with Viewed.
Final thoughts
It's highly unlikely that we will ever see another racehorse trainer in Australia like Bart Cummings. Today's top trainers are people like Ciaron Maher, Chris Waller, Ben, Will & JD Hayes, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, and Tony Gollan, and although they have achieved success, it doesn't quite match what Cummings achieved.
It will take many years before anyone can even come close to achieving what Cummings did during his time as a thoroughbred trainer and owner. Therefore, it's safe to say that Bart Cummings will always be known as the most successful Australian horse racing trainer.
In February 2016, a new precinct was unveiled at the Victoria Racing Club in honour of Cummings and his lifetime achievements called the Saintly Place.
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