The life of legendary Bart Cummings

Legendary horse racing trainer Bart Cummings has died at age 87.

Born James Bartholomew Cummings, he will be remembered as one of the most successful trainers in the sport’s history.

He won 12 Melbourne Cups, seven Caulfield Cups, four Golden Slipper Stakes, five Cox Plates, and nine VRC Oaks crowns.

Born in 1927, he was the son of well-known trainer Jim Cummings, who trained Comic Court to a win in the 1950 Melbourne Cup. He started his career working for his father as a strapper, despite being allergic to horses and hay.

He received his trainer’s licence in 1953 and set up a stable in South Australia at Glenelg. It only took him five years to capture his first significant win when he won the South Australian Derby.

He won his first Melbourne Cup in 1965 with Light Fingers. He also won the Adelaide, Caulfield, Sandown, Sydney, Brisbane and Queen's Cups in the same year, going on to claim the coveted Trainer’s Premiership.

Cummings most recently won the Melbourne Cup with Viewed in 2008, when the horse beat Bauer in a photo finish. This was his 12th victory in the race that stops the nation and it marked the 50th anniversary of the day he entered his first Cup runner.

In 1991 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. He was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, and he was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1982 for his services to the racing industry.

In 2007, his image was placed on a postage stamp by Australia as part of its Australian Legends series.

And in 2008, Racing NSW announced a new horse racing award to be known as The Bart Cummings Medal. It is awarded for 'consistent, outstanding performances amongst jockeys and trainers at New South Wales metropolitan race meetings through the racing season’.