#19 - James Bartholomew "Bart" Cummings

I do have moments of self indulgence, and when I said "people who changed the world" I actually meant people who had an impact on MY life. So say what you will, but if any of you out there reading this can live to the ripe age of 81 and have 11 Melbourne Cup winners (12 cup wins - 11 horses) to your name, well then I'll bow to you as I am to Bart.

I guess what makes Bart's feat in 2008 so phenomenal, isn't simply the fact that he is 81 years of age (going on 50 by the way he carries on), but the fact that Viewed (for those not up with it, Viewed is the horse that won the Melbourne Cup) was probably the worst of all the horses he was going to enter into the race. Personally my money was on Sirmione, who ultimately missed out on a start, but the signs were all there.

I remember saying to a workmate a few weeks out from the cup, that a Bart horse would be an "Omen" bet. 2008 was the 50th anniversary of Bart's first cup runner - something big was always going to be brewing.

Although Bart didn't win me any money in the cup (I can't believe I didn't take heed of my own advice), he did remind me of an important thing in life. No matter how old you are, no matter how big your eyebrows, no matter how much you resemble a "Gorg" from Fraggle Rock, if you put your mind, body and soul into whatever it is you do, you will succeed.

By 81, I hope to be more the Hugh Hefner type, you know; red robe, buxom beauties on my arm; however, if I can be half the man that Bart Cummings is, then I've got at least 6 Melbourne Cups to my name so I'd be pretty rich eh?

On ya Bart!

#18 - A model? A singer? A diplomat? WTF