The great Bart Cummings was the most successful racehorse trainer in Australia. Known as the ‘Cups King’, Cummings won the Melbourne Cup an incredible 12 times between 1965 and 2008.
We’re taking a closer look at the great man, as well as looking at all of his Melbourne Cup victories.
About Bart Cummings
Bart Cummings was born back in 1927 in Adelaide. He was the son of Jim Cummings, himself a Melbourne Cup winner via 1950’s Comic Cort.
Starting his horse racing career as a strapper for his father, Bart was actually allergic to both horses and hay. That didn’t stop him however, as he went on to train the winners of 12 Melbourne Cups, 9 VRC Oaks’, 8 Newmarket Handicaps and 7 Caulfield Cups in an extraordinary career.
In all, Cummings trained 246 Group 1 winners. That’s a record which may never be beaten.
Melbourne Cup Achievements
Bart Cummings, at the age of 80 and about to turn 81, won his final Melbourne Cup as a trainer with Viewed in 2008.
After coming out best in a photo finish, Viewed was Cummings’ twelfth Cup winner. The victory came on the 50th anniversary of the day the trainer entered his first runner in a Melbourne Cup.
For context, the other top trainers in the Melbourne Cup such as Lee Freedman, Richard Bradfield and Jim Scobie have 4/5 winners each. Cummings finished his career with a quite amazing 12 Cup winners which is a high uncatchable record.
Bart Cummings’ Melbourne Cup Wins
There will never be another list like this one. Bart’s twelve Melbourne Cup wins are all extraordinary for different reasons.
From Light Fingers to Viewed, these are all of Bart Cummings’ Melbourne Cup winners:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Horse Owner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Viewed | 5 | Blake Shinn | Dato Tan Chin Nam et al | 3:20.40 |
| 1999 | Rogan Josh | 7 | John Marshall | Mrs WL Green et al | 3:19.64 |
| 1996 | Saintly | 4 | Darren Beadman | Dato Tan Chin Nam et al | 3:18.80 |
| 1991 | Let’s Elope | 4 | Steven King | Shoreham Park | 3:18.90 |
| 1990 | Kingston Rule | 5 | Darren Beadman | Mr & Mrs DH Hains | 3:16.30 |
| 1979 | Hyperno | 6 | Harry White | Mr & Mrs T L North et al | 3:21.80 |
| 1977 | Gold And Black | 5 | John Duggan | Mr & Mrs J Harris et al | 3:18.40 |
| 1975 | Think Big | 5 | Harry White | Dato Tan Chin Nam et al | 3:29.60 |
| 1974 | Think Big | 4 | Harry White | Dato Tan Chin Nam et al | 3:23.10 |
| 1967 | Red Handed | 5 | Roy Higgins | FW Clarke et al | 3:20.40 |
| 1966 | Galilee | 4 | John Miller | Mr & Mrs ML Bailey | 3:21.90 |
| 1965 | Light Fingers | 4 | Roy Higgins | WJ Broderick | 3:21.10 |
After landing his first winner with Light Fingers, there was no stopping Cummings. He won three in a row at that point, and seven Melbourne Cups in 12 years.
Think Big (1974/1975) is one of only five horses as of 2023 to have won the Melbourne Cup more than once. Kingston Rule, Cummings’ 1990 winner, holds the record of being the fastest winner of the Cup. He won the race in 3 minutes, 16.3 seconds.
