My dad had a lot of experience behind him and I picked up from him by watching, listening, and keeping my mouth shut".

[4] Cummings had a record total of 89 runners in the Melbourne Cup starting in 1958 with Asian Court who finished twelfth.

However, the horse was drugged illicitly with a large dose of laxative the morning of the race and was unable to compete.

[10] Cummings' final Melbourne Cup winner was Viewed in the 2008 race, when the horse beat Bauer in a photo finish.

In February 2016, the Victoria Racing Club unveiled a precinct in honour of Cummings at Flemington Racecourse to be named Saintly Place.

The chairman said, We’re extremely pleased that Bart endorsed this initiative, which importantly is in general admission and accessible to all,...Bart has generously bequeathed a collection of his trophies for public display at Flemington, and in time Saintly Place will become a permanent trackside museum dedicated to the Cups King.

[24] Cummings met Valmae "Val" (died 12 January 2017)[25] at a church social in Adelaide,[2] and they married in 1954.

[26] He had five children: daughters Sharon (now Robinson), Anne-Marie (now Casey), and Margaret and sons John (deceased 2011) and Anthony.

[31] Cummings died on 30 August 2015 in Prince's Farm in Castlereagh, NSW, two days after he and wife Valmae celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary.

[32][33] His family accepted an offer by the premier of New South Wales, Mike Baird, of a state funeral, which took place on 7 September at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, on College Street, and was televised on Sky Thoroughbred Central, 7Two, ABC and Nine Network Australia from 10AM AEST.

They also took the executor of the estate, accountant Aaron Ross Randell, to court, contesting their father's final will.

[27] Mediation was under the control of eminent former appeal court judge Keith Mason, QC, with the first meeting was scheduled for 30 November.

[36] The mediation over two days failed to resolve the dispute, and Judge Philip Hallen ordered that the parties submit any further evidence by 30 January.

[37] With the death of Bart's wife in early January 2017, the family "...will put aside all ill-will as the mourn the loss of their mother".