James Cummings hails from one of Australia’s greatest racing families. Cummings’ great-grandfather Jim was a leading trainer, saddling 1950 Melbourne Cup winner Comic Court, while his grandfather, Bart, is a legendary racing figure who won 246 Group 1 races, including a record 12 Melbourne Cups. James’ father, Anthony, has won over 20 Group 1 races, while his brother Edward is also a Group 1-winning trainer. Cummings initially trained in partnership with Bart after serving as his foreman from a young age. James’ first Group 1 win came in the 2014 Golden Rose Stakes with Hallowed Crown, co-trained by Bart. In 2017, Cummings was appointed as Godolphin’s head trainer in Australia at the age of 29, going on to become the youngest trainer in Australian racing history to achieve 50 Group 1 wins by age 36 with Broadsiding’s 2024 Golden Rose Stakes success. Cummings has won over 1,500 races.
