Edward Cummings pleads case to keep Leilani Lodge in the family

A determined Ed Cummings has urged NSW racing officials to allow him to take over training operations at Leilani Lodge if his father, Anthony Cummings, is unsuccessful in reinstating his training license on appeal.

Earlier this week, Racing NSW informed Anthony Cummings of its decision to revoke his training license, giving him seven days to vacate the renowned Leilani Lodge stables at Randwick.

This action followed a “show cause” notice issued to Cummings last November, which highlighted concerns over the financial difficulties of his now-liquidated business, Rosscarbery Holdings Pty Ltd.

Speaking on RadioTAB on Friday, Ed Cummings, a Group 1-winning trainer who previously partnered with his father, expressed the family’s commitment to maintaining their presence at the “family stronghold” of Leilani Lodge.

“We’re reasonably confident that the appeal will be upheld, and we’ll be able to carry on as normal,” Ed Cummings said.

“We have not been deterred by the show cause notice because I know that Dad was very confident in his ability to show cause – despite the result having gone against us, he intends to appeal and is confident of a successful appeal.”

“Our confidence, or certainly Dad’s confidence in his ability to prove his case and be successful, has never wavered. I can only take him at his word, and I believe in supporting him.”

“The intention is to come through this, but if it’s not possible for Anthony to train the horses in his name here, I believe that the large majority of the owners would be happy for me to take over as trainer.”

“Our owners have been incredibly supportive of what we’re trying to accomplish, and I think everyone sees the value in keeping it Cummings at Randwick and keeping it Cummings at Leilani Lodge, more specifically.”

In a recent address to owners, Ed Cummings revealed that he had presented his case to Australian Turf Club (ATC) officials as a first step toward assuming control at Leilani Lodge.

Cummings is currently in discussions with Racing NSW regarding the status of his training license following his abrupt departure from his Hawkesbury stables last year.

“I can only hope that all of the efforts we’ve made to imbue the Club (ATC) and the board with confidence that they would be making the right decision by allowing me to train from my family’s stronghold (Leilani Lodge) for the last 50 years is effective,” Cummings said.

“Undoubtedly, people would be salivating at the chance to get in here (Leilani Lodge), and I’m sure there are more than a few trainers probably thinking that they’re a good chance. But at the same time, the record of the stable is there for everyone to see.”

Cummings noted that trainers facing significant debt is not uncommon and attributed his father’s financial struggles to his association with former mining magnate Nathan Tinkler, which began in 2008.

“Originally, it all kicked off with Nathan Tinkler trying to run Dad into the ground, and that goes back a long, long way.”