Bart Cummings: Legendary Australian racehorse trainer dies aged 87

Legendary racehorse trainer Bart Cummings has died at the age of 87 surrounded by family at his homestead in north-western Sydney.

His grandson and training partner said Cummings died in his sleep in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“James Bartholomew Cummings OAM, passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of this morning, Sunday the 30th of August 2015, in his homestead at Princes Farm, Castlereagh,” James Cummings said in a statement.

“His final moments were spent with his family and wife of 61 years, Valmae, with whom he celebrated their anniversary on Friday.

“For Bart, aged 87, this was a fitting end. A husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather; a master trainer and a larger than life figure.

“We will miss you.”

In a tweet, his son, Anthony Cummings, said his father lived a full life.

Cummings had been in ill health for some time and rarely ventured from his farm in recent years.

He also had chronic asthma, and although at 16 years old he was advised to stay away from horses and chaff by his doctor, he nonetheless continued to feed and train them.

In November last year, it was reported he was admitted to hospital with a chest infection.

ABC Grandstand’s racing expert Gerard Whateley said it felt like Australian sport had lost its “grandfather figure”.

“He was a lovely man. He had a sharp wit. He was quick with a one-liner. He was kind as long as you didn’t get in the way of his business. And he was quite clearly a genius in the field that he undertook,” he said.

Scroll through to see the reactions to Bart’s death. (Post continues after gallery.)

Racing NSW’s chief Peter V’landys said Cummings’ death had left the racing community in shock.

“I personally knew Bart and he was a great man and we’ve lost a real nice person,” he said.

Leading racehorse trainer Gai Waterhouse said: “To all of us in the racing industry, Bart was a true icon. Everything that [he] envisaged was a success.”

“It will be a day that racing goes on and Bart would only want it that way, and James will be exactly the same. He’ll fly the flag very much for his family and his grandfather.”

Dato Tan Chin Nam, a long-time friend and owner of Cup winners Think Big, Saintly and Viewed, said Cummings was a “great mate”.

“He has done more than enough for me in his life.”

The legendary trainer won the Melbourne Cup 12 times, earning him the nickname the “Cups King”.

South Australia’s horse racing industry said it would always consider Cummings as one of its own.

Born and raised in Adelaide, he had his first taste of victory at 23 years of age as a strapper for 1950 Melbourne Cup winner Comic Court trained by his father.

“I jumped out of the stands, I was terribly excited I can tell you that,” he said of that first win.

“I’m just thankful my father talked me into being a horse trainer.”

Three years later Cummings was granted a trainers licence and in 1965 won his first Melbourne cup with Light Fingers.

He won his first Group 1 with Stormy Passage in the SAJC Derby in 1958 and won nearly 7,000 races including 760 stakes races since.

South Australian Jockey Club chief Brenton Wilkinson said Cummings’ status locally was beyond legendary.

“He was a sensational trainer with a fantastic eye for a horse and would always run his hands over the horse, almost like he was talking to them through his hands,” he said.

“He’ll be sadly, sadly missed by the Australian, if not the world racing industry, and his contribution has been outstanding.”

Former jockey Darren Beadman started riding for Cummings in the early ’80s and said Cummings’ death marked a sad day in Australian racing history.

“He was a visionary. He was quite fun to be around — he had some great one-liners,” Beadman said.

Beadman said Cummings had made a unique contribution to Australian racing.

“You can’t compare what he’s done with anyone else in Australian history. Winning 12 Melbourne Cups — that’s a feat in itself and I guess it’s a record that will never be broken,” he said.

In 1974, Cummings became the first trainer in the British Commonwealth to train the earners of more than $1 million in prize money.

He was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1982 for his services to the racing industry, and in 1991 was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, and the Racing Hall of Fame in 2001.

Cummings was awarded the Centennial medal in 2000 and carried the Olympic torch down the Flemington Straight.

“It is with great sadness that we hear of his departure.”

Do you have any memories of Bart Cummings?

This post originally appeared on ABC News.