Bart: My Life

In the pantheon of Australian sporting icons, James Bartholomew Bart Cummings AM stands alongside Sir Donald Bradman. Known to his tens of thousands of fans as the Cups King, Bart is arguably Australia's greatest ever horse trainer. For over five decades he's been at the very top of his profession, yet the man himself remains a fascinating and intriguing mystery. Now he tells his extraordinary story - a story that will truly stop the nation. In Bart: My Life, he recounts his early years as his father's apprentice, leading to his first Group One win in 1958. He never looked back. In over half a century as a trainer Bart has won over 250 Group One races - a staggering statistic. But the achievement that will almost certainly never be matched is his incredible tally of twelve Melbourne Cup wins, from his first triumph with Light Fingers in 1965 to Viewed's stunning victory in 2008. But Bart means much more to the Australian public than just the sum total of his racing successes. From the highs of the racetrack to the lows of suspensions and near bankruptcy, Bart shares his unique perspective on an extraordinarily long period of Australian racing. Along the way he illuminates - with his trademark dry wit - the colourful trainers, jockeys and owners who populate the industry.

Author Biography

James Bartholomew "Bart" Cummings was born in South Australia in 1927, the son of a successful horse trainer. With his wife, Valmae, he has five children and fifteen grandchildren. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1982, named one of Australia's Living Treasures by the National Trust in 1997, and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1991 as well as the Racing Hall of Fame in 2001.