Edward Cummings has been based in the Hawkesbury at Myrtle House since 2019, but it’s experience more than location which he attributes to his stable’s success.
“Whether it was in the Hawkesbury or Warwick Farm, or wherever it might have been, I think we’ve been very fortunate to have some really nice horses come through the stable,” he says. It’s a somewhat modest statement for a man whose stable produced Duais, a triple Group 1 winner including the Queensland Oaks and Australian Cup.
Finding that potential champion often starts at the sales. “When you go to the sales and you’re trying to find a horse for your stable or your clients, there’s obviously a lot that goes into it. But certainly when I try to drill down, I try to focus on where my strengths lie and where I think I might be able to, with certain horses, work well and that also suit my style of training,” Edward explains. “You’re also assessing the horse on type, which is physique, and you’re also assessing the horse on pedigree. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter which sales you go to, you just want to find some nice horses to train; ones with pedigrees and look like athletes.”
“In any pursuit there has to be an element of continued learning in order to become better at what you do, and I definitely think we’ve made progress in that way,” he says. “We continue to develop good, young stock into race winners, stakes winners, stakes performers, and that’s ultimately what we’re here to do. We’re here, for want of a better expression, to essentially take athletes and help them realise their potential.”
And just like human athletes, each horse has their own personality and experiences which inform its behaviour. “It’s no different to the way a child would act, and I often try to compare — to owners, or people who don’t necessarily have a broad understanding of what we do — my horses to the way you might rear children. It’s about positive reinforcement, and having a loving and nurturing environment for them to thrive in, build confidence in, and then slowly understand what they’re here to do, which is compete. And we try to imbue them with a sense of competitive spirit, confidence within themselves, and that’s always supported by a really healthy, rigorous nutritional program.”
“The reason why I do what I do is so I can produce, on race day, a fully fledged athlete that executes perfectly in a big race and ideally wins a Group 1. Most trainers appreciate and understand that a horse can have the zenith of its career in front of you in the next four to six weeks and you need to make hay while the sun shines. It’s important that you feel that you’ve done your study, your homework, as much as you possibly can and are ready to unleash on the competition.”
And success often makes Edward feel like a proud parent. “It’s no different to seeing your child score a try or make the top team, because there’s a huge amount of pride that goes into it because there’s a huge investment that goes into it; there’s time, there’s passion. There’s a reason why we get up so early in the morning to get the work done, and it’s because A, we feel like we’re good at it, and B, we love dealing and with them [the horses] and handling them.”
Based in Hawkesbury Sydney and Melbourne Flemington
Website: myrtlehouse.horse
