Legendary Thoroughbred Trainer

Bart
Cummings

November 14, 1927 - August 30, 2015

Home Town: South Australia

"The Cups King whose legacy shaped racing history."

Life Timeline

  • Born in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of trainer Jim Cummings.

    1927: Born

  • Experienced his first Melbourne Cup win as a strapper for his father's horse, Comic Court.

    1950: First Melbourne Cup Experience

  • Officially granted his own horse trainer's license at the age of 26.

    1953: Trainer Career Begins

  • Married Valmae Beesley; they remained married for 61 years until his death.

    1954: Marriage & Family Life

  • Achieved his first Group 1 victory with Stormy Passage in the SAJC Derby.

    1958: First Group 1 Victory

  • Won his 1st Melbourne Cup with the mare Light Fingers.

    1965: First Melbourne Cup Win

  • Won his 2nd Melbourne Cup with Galilee (who also won the Caulfield and Sydney Cups that same season).

    1966: Second Cup Triumph

  • Won his 3rd Melbourne Cup with Red Handed, completing a hat-trick of consecutive wins.

    1967: Historic Cup Hat-Trick

  • Established his Melbourne training base, Saintly Place, at Flemington.

    1968: Flemington Base Established

  • Became the first trainer in the British Commonwealth to exceed $1 million in prize money in a single season.

    1973: Record Prize Money Season

  • Won his 4th and 5th Melbourne Cups with Think Big, who became one of the rare back-to-back winners.

    1974: Think Big Victory Begins

  • Opened Leilani Lodge at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney as his second major training base.

    1975: Back-to-Back Cup Success

  • Won his 6th Melbourne Cup with Gold and Black.

    1977: Sixth Melbourne Cup Win

  • Won his 7th Melbourne Cup with Hyperno.

    1979: Seventh Cup Victory

  • Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the racing industry.

    1982: National Honour Awarded

  • Purchased Princes Farm, a 150-acre breeding and spelling complex in New South Wales where many of his champions, including Saintly, were raised.

    1988: Princes Farm Established

  • Became the first trainer to win the training premiership in three different states (NSW, Victoria, and South Australia) in the same season.

    1989: Multi-State Premiership Record

  • Won his 8th Melbourne Cup with Kingston Rule in a record time of 3:16.3, which still stands today.

    1990: Record-Breaking Cup Win

  • Won his 9th Melbourne Cup with Let’s Elope.

    1991: Ninth Melbourne Cup Victory

  • Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

    1991: Hall of Fame Induction

  • Won his 10th Melbourne Cup with the "Horse from Heaven," Saintly.

    1996: Tenth Cup Triumph

  • Named one of the National Trust’s 100 Australian Living Treasures.

    1997: National Living Treasure

  • Won his 11th Melbourne Cup with Rogan Josh.

    1999: Eleventh Cup Victory

  • Carried the Olympic Torch down the Flemington straight during the Sydney 2000 Torch Relay.

    2000: Olympic Torch Honour

  • Inaugural inductee into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

    2001: Racing Hall of Fame Induction

  • Honoured by Australia Post with a commemorative postage stamp as part of the "Australian Legends" series.

    2007: National Recognition Stamp

  • Elevated to "Legend" status within the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

    2008: Legend Status Awarded

  • Won his 12th and final Melbourne Cup with Viewed.

    2008: Final Melbourne Cup Win

  • Entered into a formal training partnership with his grandson, James Cummings.

    2013: Family Training Partnership

  • Passed away peacefully at age 87 at Princes Farm, just two days after his 61st wedding anniversary.

    2015: Peaceful Passing

  • The VRC officially unveiled the Bart Cummings Trophy Collection and a permanent memorial display at Flemington's Saintly Place, featuring all 12 of his Melbourne Cup trophies.

    2017: Permanent Tribute Unveiled

  • Tribute Page Manager

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