More than a decade ago when the Melbourne Cup became something entirely different to what most Australians grew up knowing it to be, Bart Cummings and Gai Waterhouse took off the tongue ties and went at it.
Longtime rivals on the track, they were completely opposed to what had been happening off it, namely the internationalisation of the Melbourne Cup. What started as a single drop then became a trickle, later a flood.
No one knew how to win the race better than the late Cummings, and this spring, Waterhouse was yet to win the Cup (she would later win her first with import Fiorente in 2013). She said she didn’t mind the internationally trained, and bought, horses taking part. Cummings detested the globalisation of Australia’s great race.
“Gai doesn’t mind, she hasn’t got a runner,” Cummings quipped on the eve of the race. “If she had a runner, it might be different.”
The press lapped it up: two Australian racing legends, whose families had created decades-long dynasties, adding spice off the track before what was about to unfold on it.
Of course, Cummings and Waterhouse remained friends, and upon the 12-time Cup winner’s death in 2015, few led with tributes better than Gai.
Ten years on, the two families are locked in a new battle off the track – to take over the coveted Leilani Lodge, made famous by the Cummings family’s 50-year occupation of the Royal Randwick stables.
Idol Horse can reveal three trainers have formally applied to move into the yard, which can cater for 50 horses, after it was vacated earlier this year when Bart’s son Anthony had his licence stripped over financial concerns of his business.
Bart’s grandson James, who dramatically announced he would no longer be the private trainer for the Australian arm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Godolphin empire from August, wants to keep the stable in the family. He needs a base to set up his new stable. He will be formally interviewed by the Australian Turf Club about his merits for running Leilani Lodge.
It might seem inconceivable to the traditionalists and romantics that Leilani Lodge will be occupied by anyone other than a Cummings, but he has competition.
Ciaron Maher’s goliath stable and spread into Sydney seemingly knows no bounds. He has also tendered a pitch for the boxes.
But where it gets intriguing is Waterhouse’s attempt to get the keys to the stable that was once the home of her great rival and friend. In partnership with Adrian Bott, Waterhouse has applied to the ATC to shift part of her operation to Leilani Lodge.
“We’ve put in an application and we’ll go through the process with the club,” Bott said. “We’ve shown an expression of interest, for sure.
“It’s not necessarily a step for expansion, but there’s an element of our stable that remains off course. We’re probably the only stable at Randwick now that is still off course. That presents its own set of challenges in terms of the local environment around us and with council. They’re different challenges to the stables that are on course.
“We want help with that aspect of the operation.”
James’ brother Edward, who sacrificed his own training aspirations momentarily to help save Anthony’s business, hasn’t formally joined the process. He has regained his licence and will continue to be based at Hawkesbury on the outskirts of Sydney.
The clamour for Leilani Lodge presents the ATC with an intriguing decision: side with history and the proven claims of a Cummings, accelerate Maher’s rapid growth and presumably keep more of his horses in NSW than interstate, or reward horse racing’s great ambassador and a Royal Randwick institution?
The timing of it all couldn’t be more controversial.
Waterhouse has taken the whacking stick to the club over their bold proposal to sell Rosehill for $5 billion to allow the NSW government to build a 25,000-home mini city. When they announced the plans, the ATC didn’t know they’d be picking a fight with the most recognisable racing face in mainstream Australia, who has spearheaded the anti-sale campaign. It’s been punishing and personal.
Now, she’s steeling herself for another battle with the club over property – and it’s one she wants to win. ∎
