Steve Cunningham Profile

Steve was born on the famed Stockwell Stud at Diggers Rest which was owned by the breeding pioneer Ken Cox. His parents worked on the farm for many years looking after feeding of the mares and foals and it was from these very early interactions with horses that Steve was destined to be part of the thoroughbred industry.

His early teens saw him helping out on the sheep farm his parents were working at and jumping on the back of a few of the racehorses riding their work which helped craft his overall horsemanship.

A further shift to Adelaide saw him taking up a part-time job with legendary trainer Bart Cummings working around the stables after school learning and honing his craft of what would become his future career as a horse trainer.

It is now more than 20 Years since Steve first started training from South Australia and now is based  On-Course at Wangarrata where he also runs a 60ac boutique pre-training and spelling establishment a short drive away.

He contributes much of his training skills to his old boss Colin Little who he believes taught him to treat each horse as an individual by watching and spending time with them.

There have been many good horses under Steve's care but his most memorable include:

Our Maharaja (multiple city winner and placed 4th twice at group level), Shamrock Jazz (debut Adelaide city winner and Moonee Vally winner at 3rd start) Kitso Be Good (first city winner), Top Strand (city winner later on sold to Hong Kong), Deo Favente, Remedia, Jenzan, Sir John and most recently Mistaken Grace and Godfrey.

Steve believes in a hands-on approach when training his horses and feels this is of great benefit to ensure the best from each athlete under his care.

If you have Tried Horse looking for a change of environment or a young horse ready to be educated and put through its paces then Steve would be happy to hear from you.