James Cummings accepts offer to train in Hong Kong from the 2026-27 season
James Cummings will withdraw his application for the famous Leilani Lodge stables at Royal Randwick after accepting an offer to train in Hong Kong.
Cummings flew to Hong Kong on Tuesday and will later this morning front a press conference in which the Hong Kong Jockey Club will confirm the trainer will move there for the start of the 2026-27 season.
It's a real coup for Hong Kong racing to secure one of Sydney's most outstanding trainers.
Cummings' tenure as Godolphin's private trainer comes to an end on July 31. It is understood he may take a 'sabbatical'' from training before he moves to Hong Kong next year.
It is unclear whether Cummings will continue training Godolphin's Group 1 stars Tom Kitten and Zardozi and boom rising three-year-old filly Tempted for their spring carnival campaigns later this year.
Cummings has been reconsidering his future since Godolphin Australia made a bombshell announcement recently it is moving to a public training model from August 1. The trainer had lodged an application to take over the vacant Leilani Lodge stables at Royal Randwick.
The Australian Turf Club board of directors are due to meet this week to discuss which trainer will be allocated the 60-boxes at Leilani Lodge where Bart Cummings trained so successfully for more than 40 years.
An original Hall of Fame inductee, Bart Cummings prepared some of his greatest champions out of Leilani Lodge including Saintly, So You Think, Beau Zam, Shaftesbury Avenue, Sky Chase, Campaign King, Dane Ripper and many others.
The nation's leading trainer, Ciaron Maher is clear favourite to be given the keys to the Randwick stables which have been vacant since James's father, Anthony Cummings' licence to train was revoked earlier this year.
James Cummings is only 37 years of age and has already trained 52 career Group 1 winners including two with his legendary grandfather, Bart.
To put this achievement into context, Bart Cummings and Tommy Smith didn't train their 50th Group 1 winner until they turned 45.
Chris Waller may rewrite all the training records but he didn't get to 50 big race wins until he was 42.
In fact, the only other trainer to reach 50 Group 1 wins before the age of 40 was Lee Freedman who was 38.
Cummings has been Godolphin's trainer since 2017 and has been hugely successful for the global racing and breeding giant, preparing 48 Group 1 winners for the 'Blue Army' and more than $200 million prizemoney.
Anamoe has been Godolphin's best horse during the Cummings era winning nine Group 1 races including the 2022 Cox Plate and earning Horse of the Year honours in 2022-23.
"IT'S ANAMOE'S GEORGE RYDER!"
The champion did it tough today to win his 9th Group 1! @mcacajamez @JamesCummings88 @godolphin pic.twitter.com/8mRiwNLngJ
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 18, 2023
Cummings trained a Golden Slipper quinella in 2019 with Kiamichi and Microphone, and the winners of the Golden Eagle (Colette, 2019), Doncaster Mile (Cascadian, 2021), Epsom Handicap (Hartnell, 2018), Tancred Stakes (Avilius, 2019) and two Golden Rose s with Broadsiding (2024) and Bivouac (2019).
The champion trainer also enjoyed tremendous success for Godolphin interstate preparing the winners of the All Star Mile (Tom Kitten, 2025), two Australian Cup s (Cascadian 2023, 2024), three Newmarket Handicap s (Bivouac, 2020, In Secret, 2023 and Cylinder, 2024), two VRC Oaks (Zardozi, 2024 and Willowy, 2021), two Caulfield Guineas (Anamoe, 2021 and Golden Mile, 2022) and the Stradbroke Handicap (Trekking, 2019).
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