by Mike Curry

Few trainers in racing history have been as adept at getting a horse ready for a big race as Bart Cummings, and the 81-year-old nicknamed “Cups King” struck again on Saturday at Caulfield when Viewed won the BMW Caulfield Cup (Aus-G1).

Benefitting from a ground-saving trip under Brad Rawiller, Viewed drove to a 2¼-length victory to become only the third horse to win the Caulfield Cup after winning the Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) the previous year. The six-year-old by Scenic closed from 16th in the 18-horse field with a strong move along the inside, taking charge in the straight to give Cummings a record-extending seventh Caulfield Cup victory.

Viewed gave Cummings his 12th Melbourne Cup victory last year, also a record, but failed to win in seven subsequent starts prior to his Caulfield Cup victory. He halted the winless streak by covering 2,400 meters in 2:29.70 on turf rated as dead.

"It was a great ride,” Cummings told the Australian Associated Press. “He followed the rail around and saved many lengths.”

Cummings’ Roman Emperor, winner of the David Jones AJC Australian Derby (Aus-G1) in April, finished second in the Caulfield Cup. Vigor was another half-length back in third, followed by favorite Daffodil. Godolphin Racing’s Kirklees finished seventh and trainer Luca Cumani’s Cima de Triomphe (Ire) was 13th.

After assisting his father, Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Jim Cummings, Bart Cummings took out his trainer’s license in 1953 and has won a stakes every year since ‘58. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame with the inaugural class in 2001. Bart Cummings won his first Caulfield Cup with Galilee in 1966 and had not won the race since Let’s Elope (NZ) prevailed in ‘91. His other Caulfield Cup winners were Big Philou (‘69), Leilani (‘74), and Ming Dynasty (’77, ‘80)

Viewed will move on to the Emirates Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) on November 3 at Flemington, where last year in the same race he gave Cummings his 250th Group 1 win. Viewed is out of the Khozaam mare Lovers Knot.

“I had a lot of confidence coming into this week," Rawiller said after winning the Caulfield Cup for the first time. "It's easy to do when you've got Bart Cummings as the trainer."

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor