Bart Cummings has been inducted as an honorary member of the New Zealand Hall of Fame.  The master trainer was invested by Prime Minister John Key before the 2012 NZB yearling sale at Karaka on Monday.

Cummings has prepared the winners of 12 Melbourne Cups and the majority have been by NZ based sires:  Light Fingers (Le Filou), Galilee (Alcimedes), Red Handed (Le Filou), Think Big (Sobig), Gold And Black (In The Purple), Hyperno (Rangong) and Let’s Elope (Nassipour).

His 1996 winner Saintly (Sky Chase) was by a NZ bred stallion and his 1999 winner Rogan Josh (Old Spice) was out of a mare by NZ bred sire Hammed.  His 2008 Melbourne Cup winner Viewed (Scenic) was from NZ bred mare Lovers Knot.

Bart’s 1991 Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule (Secretariat) has been the only one without NZ blood.

Cummings became the first foreigner to earn entry in the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.  HOF chairman Gerald said no overseas trainer has done more to promote the New Zealand thoroughbred.

Cummings first attended the NZ yearling sale in 1958 in the days when Wrightson Bloodstock conducted the auction at Trentham.

It was business as usual for Cummings on Day 1 of the 2012 NZB Karaka Sale.  The highest priced lot of several buys was the High Chaparral – Clarens colt that cost $360,000.  

Cummings likes the High Chaparrals and singled out one of his first crop for $110,000 at the 2008 Karaka Sale.  His long-time client Dato Tan Chin Nam named the colt So You Think.