Who is the most successful trainer in the history of the Melbourne Cup?

Nicknamed 'The race that stops a nation', the Melbourne Cup is a Group 1 handicap run over 3,200 metres, or approximately two miles, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, traditionally on the first Tuesday in November. Boasting total prize money of $A8,000,000, or just over £4,000,000 at the current exchange rate, the Melbourne Cup is the most valuable race of its kind run anywhere in the world. As such, it is the highlight of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington, which, in turn, is a central part of the thre-month Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Who doesn't love a bit of Australian appeal in sports and gambling. Kingjohnnie aussie pokies fans are firmly in agreement.

The Melbourne Cup was established in 1861 and the inaugural running was won by Archer, owned and trained by the legendary Etienne de Mestre, who would saddle the same horse to win again in 1862, as well as Tim Whiffler in 1867, Chester in 1877 and Calamia in 1878. Far and away the most successful trainer in the long, rich history of the Melbourne Cup, though, remains the late James Bartholomew Cummings, generally known as 'Bart' or 'J.B.', who saddled a total of 12 winners, with 43 years between the first and the last.

Born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia, Cummings began his training career in Glenelg, a suburb of the South Australian capital, in 1953. In 1968, he established stables in Flemington, by which time he had already won the Melbourne Cup three years running, with Light Fingers in 1965, Galilee in 1966 and Red Handed in 1967. Later in his career, the 'Cups King', as he became known, also saddled Think Big (1974,1975), Gold and Black (1977), Hyperno (1979), Kingston Rule (1990), Let's Elope (1991), Saintly (1996), Rogan Josh (1999) and Viewed (2008). Cummins died at his home, Princes Farm in Castlereagh, New South Wales on August 30, 2015, at the age of 87. Such was his iconic status in his native land that his family was offered, and accepted, a state funeral.

Who are the leading trainers in the history of the Peterborough Chase?

For the uninitiated, the Peterborough Chase is a Grade 2 steeplechase, run over 2 miles, 3 furlongs and 189 yards at Huntingdon in December. The race was first run, in its current guise – that is, as a weight-for-age, conditions chase – in 1978 and, since then, two trainers, both veterans, have saddled eight winners apiece. 

In chronological order, in terms of their first winners of the Peterborough Chase, the first of them is six-time champion trainer Nicky Henderson. Henderson opened his account with reigning champion chaser Remittance Man in 1992 and added two more victories in the nineties, courtesy of Arkle Challenge Trophy winner Travado in both 1993 and 1995. After a lengthy hiatus, the master of Seven Barrows has significantly increased his winning tally in the last decade or so, with further victories for Riverside Theatre (2013), Josses Hill (2016), Top Notch (2017 and 2019) and Mister Fisher (2020).

Henderson shares the mantle of leading trainer with Henrietta Knight, who officially retired in 2012, but announced in November 2023 that she would returning to training at the earliest opportunity in 2024, from her previous base at West Lockinge Farm near Wantage, Oxfordshire, where she has been running a successful livery yard. During her previous stint in the training ranks, Knight was responsible for the prolific, and versatile, Edredon Bleu, who had the distinction of winning the Peterbrough Chase four years running, in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. At the time of his retirement, in 2005, the Grand Tresor gelding had won 24 of his 47 starts over fences, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in 2000 and King George VI Chase at Kempton Park in 2003. Knight also saddled Best Mate (2002), Impek (2005), and Racing Demon (2006 and 2007) to victory in the Peterborough Chase.