Melbourne Cup 2015: Bart Cummings gone but not forgotten at Flemington

BART Cummings will be remembered for many training achievements but most notably his 12 Melbourne Cup wins — and the blueprint he developed to win the nation’s greatest race.

Bart Cummings after winning the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

• THE FORM: ULTIMATE CUP GUIDE
• THE FIELD: MELBOURNE CUP
• ANALYSIS: THE LEAD-UP RACES
• SPRING RACING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

THE legendary Bart Cummings will be remembered for so many monumental training achievements but most notably his 12 Melbourne Cup wins - and the blueprint he developed to win the nation’s greatest race.

At Flemington on Tuesday, it is both the 50th anniversary of Bart’s first Melbourne Cup win with Light Fingers and the first running of the race since the great trainer’s passing.

Cummings had a tried and proven formula to win the Melbourne Cup that stood the test of time comprising:

#Up to seven preparatory races during the spring.

#These races needed to have an aggregate distance of at least 10,000m.

#A final lead-up on Derby Day in either the Mackinnon Stakes or the Lexus Stakes.

Most of Bart’s 12 Melbourne Cup winners followed this program with Light Fingers (1965), Galilee (1966), Red Handed (1967), Think Big (1975), Gold And Black (1977), Hyperno (1979), Let’s Elope (1991), Rogan Josh (1999) and Viewed (2008) all contesting the Mackinnon Stakes before winning the Cup.

Cummings’ other Cup winners, Think Big (1974) and Kingston Rule (1990), won the Cup after using the Lexus Stakes as a final lead-up run.

Bart Cummings after winning the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

His only Cup winner which didn’t race on Derby Day was champion Saintly in 1996, which won the Cox Plate and didn’t start again until the Melbourne Cup.

Other trainers tried to emulate the “Bart Factor” and it became almost mandatory to follow the great trainer’s proven Cup formula.

In fact, in a 20-year period from 1975, 17 Melbourne Cup winners raced in either the Mackinnon Stakes or the Lexus Stakes

But with the internationalisation of the Melbourne Cup in 1993 with Irish stayer Vintage Crop’s historic win, the nature of Australia’s great race has changed.

Since Vintage Crop, only five Cup winners raced on Derby Day, the last being Shocking in 2009.

It is almost as if the Cummings formula has become an anachronism because only one horse in today’s big race fits the criteria — Excess Knowledge.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained Excess Knowledge has had five starts this preparation, racing over a total distance of 10,400m.

Excess Knowledge is very race fit, with this last three starts over 2400m (twice) and then 2500m on Derby Day when he won the Lexus Stakes to qualify for the Melbourne Cup.

Who would have thought, even a decade ago, that Derby Day would become almost irrelevant as a Melbourne Cup guide.

The Gap Waterhouse trained Excess Knowledge with Troy Parkinson at the beach.

There are only four other Cup starters that come close to fulfilling the Cummings criteria - The Offer, Almoonqith and Prince Of Penzance.

The Offer is also trained by Waterhouse and has clocked up the most “mileage” in his legs this preparation with five race starts over a total of 10,780m.

But The Offer’s most recent run was last Wednesday when he took out the Bendigo Cup under 59kg. He carries only 54kg today.

Almoonqith has recorded 10,340m in race distance in his five lead-up runs, culminating with his last start Geelong Cup win two weeks ago.

Prince Of Penzance has also had five starts this Cup campaign for an aggregate of 9940m. His final lead-up was a second to The United Stakes in the Moonee Valley Cup on October 24.

The United States has also had a five-start preparation totalling 9640m.

But the remaining 19 Cup starters have had comparatively light campaigns going into today’s race.

This is a reflection of the northern hemisphere influence where their stayers do not race as frequently and usually are given longer breaks between runs.

Vintage Crop has set the standard with a 45-day break between his Irish St Leger win and Melbourne Cup triumph.

Three horses in the race have an opportunity to break the Vintage Crop record.

Max Dynamite last raced 73 days ago when won the Londsdale Cup with Big Orange unplaced and both horses are going straight into the Melbourne Cup.

Red Cadeaux is lining up in his fifth consecutive Melbourne Cup but he hasn’t raced for 79 days.

Dwayne Dunn on Excess Knowledge holds off Damian Lane on Zanteca.

A three-time runner-up in the Melbourne Cup, Red Cadeaux has never had a lead-up run before the famous Flemington two-miler but always runs well.

However, it is worth noting that apart from Vintage Crop, the other northern hemisphere-trained stayers to win the Melbourne Cup, Media Puzzle (2002), Delta Blues (2006), American (2010), Dunaden (2011) and Protectionist (2014) all had a lead-up run in Australia.

Others like Sky Hunter from the Godolphin stable has had only two starts all year, while the favourite Fame Game, Snow Sky, Hokko Brave, Trip To Paris, Kingfisher and Bondi Beach have had only one race in the last two months.

#The Victoria Racing Club plans to honour Bart Cummings with a special tribute before the race that stops a nation today.

“Bart’s son, Anthony, and grandson, James, will carry the 2015 Emirates Melbourne Cup trophy and Light Fingers’ 1965 Cup - Bart’s first - down the Flemington straight, and then into the Mounting Yard through a 12-strong guard of honour featuring the racing colours of Bart’s winners,’’ VRC chairman Michael Burn said last week.

“He may be gone, but Bart’s presence will certainly be felt in this year’s Cup, as I’m sure it always will.’’

Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2015: Bart Cummings gone but not forgotten at Flemington