ONE of Ballarat’s leading jockeys has paid tribute to the man fondly known as the “king of the Melbourne Cup”, trainer Bart Cummings, who died Sunday morning.
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Also known as a “legend of the track”, the record-breaking horse trainer died in his sleep surrounded by his family. He was 87.
Ballarat jockey, Michelle Payne, who rode her first Group One win on a Cummings-trained horse in 2009, paid tribute to the racing legend and thanked him for giving female riders an opportunity at the top level of racing.
“I was lucky to have met him, particularly as he opened up the industry to female riders like myself,” Payne said on Sunday.
“My first Group One win will always be associated with Bart, because it was on his mare, which later that year went on to race in the Caulfield and Melbourne cups.”
That horse was Allez Wonder and the race Payne won was the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield six years ago.
Cummings’ illustrious career included training 12 Melbourne Cup-winning horses, as well as winning four Golden Slippers in New South Wales among his 250 Group One winners.
Payne said Cummings’ laid back attitude was one of the reasons for his racing successes. “He never stressed. He made (riders) feel comfortable in their own abilities. He also knew when a horse would peak and knew how to get the timing right. He also made sure the horses were in tip-top condition.
Payne said she was saddened to hear about Cummings’ passing on Sunday morning. “He was old and I knew he was sick, but it was still sad news.
“Riders like myself will always be indebted to him for giving female jockeys an opportunity to ride in Group One races.”
Cummings was one of the inaugural inductees into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2001 and was elevated to Legend status in 2008. He shares the Legend title with fellow trainer Tommy Smith, jockeys Scobie Breasley and George Moore, and champion horses Phar Lap, Carbine and Makybe Diva.
He trained a record 12 Melbourne Cup winners – Light Fingers (1965), Galilee (1966), Red Handed (1967), Think Big (1974-75), Gold And Black (1977), Hyperno (1979), Kingston Rule (1990), Let’s Elope (1991), Saintly (1996), Rogan Josh (1999) and Viewed (2008).
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