Cummings chalks up Godolphin century

 James Cummings sent out his 100th winner for Godolphin when Drachenfels landed Saturday's ATC Membership Open Now Sprint at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney.

 The milestone was reached five months from the day he took charge from interim Godolphin trainer Darren Beadman, on July 8.

 Cummings trained 11 winners for Godolphin up to July 31, the close of the 2016-17 season in Australia.

 Since August 1, the start of the current season, he has chalked up 89 winners, for total prize money of A$6.1m. During that period, 50% of his runners have finished in the top three placings.

 A great highlight of his season so far was the win of Alizee, Astern's half-sister, in the G1 Flight Stakes at Randwick on September 30.

 The Sepoy filly then went on to register a creditable third in the G1 One Thousand Guineas at Caulfield, Melbourne.

 Cummings oversees training bases at Osborne Park, on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, Crown Lodge at Warwick Farm, on the outskirts of Sydney, and Carbine Lodge at Flemington, Melbourne.

 "It's nice to have reached this milestone, and I'm pleased with the way our new-look team have been working towards achieving such results.

"Looking ahead, I have a few new things for the New Year. We've got some very nice young horses to look forward to," the trainer added.

 He succeeded John O'Shea, who was Godolphin trainer for three years, O'Shea having taken over from Peter Snowden.

 Cummings paid tribute to his staff for their hard work and dedication, and thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohammed for giving him the opportunity to train for Godolphin.