Bart Cummings is racing’s most famous granddad but to James the young man who actually calls him grandad, Bart is more like a racing godfather.
James Cummings reckons his famous 86-year-old grandfather doesn’t miss a beat in their training partnership.
Bart’s body is certainly not agile and he rarely ventures to the racetrack.
But, just like a doting godfather, he has a set of discerning eyes that see everything.
He watches races and racing shows on TV like a hawk and can pick up even the tiniest nuance or helpful snippet.
He listens intently to idle chatter and racing whispers.
He sees a half-empty feed bin around the stables and wants to know why.
Just because Bart is rarely seen at race meetings these days, don’t think he doesn’t know even the smallest thing about his horses or any other horses in Australia’s major races.
As Bart tries to win his 13th Melbourne Cup with veteran stayer Precedence, James says his much-loved grandad is anything but a silent training partner.
‘‘The reality is we are not young forever. Bart’s mind is willing but his body is not quite up to it and he can’t be at the track every morning,’’ James explains.
‘‘He can’t be here during the cold mornings and get to the windy tracks two or three times a week like a trainer really needs to.
‘‘But I speak to Bart every day on the phone, sometimes a couple of times a day on racedays.
‘‘He is a bit like John Hawkes when he would sit at home and watch the races and would get a great summary just by watching the TV.
‘‘You get all the information; you see all the interviews and get to watch the replays.
‘‘You get that analysis and get that benefit without being stuck at the races and missing certain things.
‘‘We are a combination of the young and the old that works really well. I am hands on but I get the opportunity to call on Bart’s wisdom and his experience which I think really adds to it.”
With James doing the hands-on work, Bart lives happily on his Princes Farm property at Castlereagh, in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Mountains west of Sydney.
It is where Cummings keeps a handle on the stable’s runners and where many of his gallopers spell or have pre-training.
Bart has had health issues over the past 12 months but even though he is no longer front and centre, there would be no more popular win should the Cups King triumph with evergreen stayer Precedence.
Precedence is a two-time Moonee Valley Cup winner in 2010 and 2013 and James Cummings feels the nine-year-old is probably racing better than ever.
It would be folly to write Bart off on the first Tuesday in November and the good news for stable devotees is that grandson James, 26, is also flourishing.
The James and Bart Cummings partnership is becoming increasingly successful and enjoyed its first Group 1 win when Hallowed Crown won the Golden Rose at Rosehill in September.
It was James’ first Group 1 but for Bart it was number 267.
The Melbourne Cup will always be the Race That Stops a Nation.