Godolphin shifts to public training model

Godolphin will shift to a public training model in Australia from next season, ending a long-standing private trainer arrangement currently held by James Cummings.

In a joint announcement on Wednesday, Godolphin’s Australian managing director Andy Makiv said the change aligns with modern approaches used by other major owners and breeders.

“The private training model that we first adopted after the purchase of Woodlands in 2007 with successive trainers Peter Snowden, John O’Shea and now James Cummings for the past eight years has proven to be very successful,” Makiv said.

“Moving away from a private training model gives us greater business agility.”

Makiv confirmed Godolphin will maintain its current racing numbers, citing recent Group 1 success with horses like Anamoe, Bivouac, Broadsiding and Cylinder as validation of their racing model.

Cummings will complete his contract on July 31 and will return to training publicly. Makiv said Godolphin intends to place horses with him under the new model.

“He brought up his 50th Group One win late last year and we are extremely grateful for his leadership,” Makiv added. “We are looking forward to working with James under our new training model.”

Talks are underway for Cummings to oversee key horses including Golden Slipper placegetter Tempted, Cox Plate-bound Tom Kitten, and Zardozi.

Cummings expressed his gratitude for the experience and said he is ready for the next phase of his training career.

“The time is right for me to take the next step in my career and launch my own venture as a public trainer,” he said. “I’m deeply grateful to Godolphin for their ongoing support, and I look forward with great anticipation to this exciting new chapter.”

He joined the Godolphin stable in 2017 and most recently saddled Broadsiding to win the Rosehill Guineas.