James Cumming says the industry needs to embrace modern society if the Sport of Kings is to flourish. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: Colleen Petch / News Limited
THE grandson of training legend Bart Cummings has challenged racing to launch itself out of the dark ages and embrace modern society, believing the sport takes itself too seriously.
James Cummings, 25, is on the Gold Coast this week trying to find the next champion for Leilani Lodge at Randwick, where he trains in partnership with his 12-times Melbourne Cup winning grandfather.
He is a young man with an optimistic vision of the future for racing, but says things need to change if the Sport of Kings is to flourish.
"At the moment, you step onto a racecourse and it's a step back in time. And it shouldn't be," Cummings said.
"There's a lot of action that needs to be taken and it's resting on our shoulders to do something about it.
"It's up to people coming into the game that have a vested interest that want to see more young people at the races."
Cummings says not enough is done to promote the superstars of racing, believing officials are too quick to penalise jockeys for showing emotion.
He's also critical of the dress standards that still apply on most racetracks, calling on officials to: "get rid of the shirt and tie".
James Cummings wants clubs to ease up on dress restrictions. Picture: Mark Evans Source: News Limited
"In any sport, all you want to do is follow the big names," Cummings said. "You follow the guys who are not only exceptional in their field, but are flamboyant and entertaining.
"We lose sight of that in racing. We have problems with a guy like Glen Boss waving the whip when he crosses the line. It's ridiculous.
"I talk to my mates at Uni and all they want to know is 'which horse is Bossy riding'.
"It's guys like that should be promoted. The Australian (way) is not to be flamboyant and not to be a show pony but at the same time, we're putting on a show and we can't all be boring, with a say nothing 'loose lips sink ships' type attitude."
Cummings is part of a growing band of young trainers keen to make their mark in the industry.
He and Bart prepared Precedence for dual Group wins during the recent spring carnival.
Tomorrow young Kiwi born trainer Bjorn Baker saddles up Magic Millions favourite Unencumbered.
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