James Cummings always marvelled at the advice his  decorated grandfather, Bart, imparted over the years they were in partnership.

Invaluable little gems about feeding, exercising, swimming and placing a racehorse in the right race and never over-estimating your team  were drilled into the grandson.

His grandfather, in essence, was the Flemington four-day carnival. He won most of the races multiple times and always looked cool and relaxed.  Poker-faced and ready for a joke or a drink was J.B. Cummings and, in defeat, there was no sign of anguish. Bart, like his own father decades before, had trained himself to move on - regret was a wasted emotion.

Let's try and win the next race was the motto..

Bart and James formed a lively partnership with both known for stating their thoughts  forcefully, but at 29, young  Cummings still feels fortunate to have received  such remarkable advice.

On Saturday, James  heads to Flemington in a bid to achieve back-to-back Victoria Derby wins, having won last year with Prized Icon.

This year, much has changed for Cummings, who has been lured to the international stable of Godolphin after the departure of John O'Shea.

"Bart would say that while Derby day was one of the biggest days on the Australian racing calendar, don't fall into being overwhelmed at the prospect of being an afternoon of racing that will make or break you," James said on Friday.

"He said the sun will come up the next day and life will go on. Aim your best horses at the best races and leave no stone unturned in having them ready come Derby day, he would often say." 

Cummings has taken his grandfather and his father, Anthony, at their word, with both telling the young trainer that if the preparation is right the results will be assured.

Cummings,married with two children, says  he's looking to Saturday with excitement and hopefully the team he inherited  this year can do Godolphin proud. .

Cummings is  represented in two of the four group 1 races and has been impressed with his Derby hope, Astoria, who's drawn perfectly in barrier one and, according to the trainer, has the make-up and attitude to be highly competitive.

"He did well in the Spring Champion Stakes  in Sydney and that's always a good yardstick," he said.

"And then we took him to Geelong and he settled with only three or four behind him, but in the final 200 metres he showed a great turn of speed - that was the part of the race that I was impressed with.".

Astoria, a $9.50 chance after as much as $13 was bet, is more than capable of upsetting some of the favoured runners in the  $1.5 million race. The favourite,   Ace High,   is at $6 in an open race.

Cummings will also have three runners in the  Coolmore Stud Stakes in which the three-year-olds  will be racing for $1 million.

Cummings has Kementari, Viridine and Malahat in the Coolmore. All, he says, are fit and genuine chances in one of the toughest Coolmore Stakes, with Viridine favourite at $7.50 after an excellent effort in the Caulfield Guineas behind Mighty Boss. He has since thrived.

The Godolphin team will be represented in the group 3 Lexus Stakes by Havana Cooler, while   Beau Geste and Gaulois, will tackle the 1600 metres of the Carbine Club Stakes. 

And like the Cummings-trained gallopers of the past,  they will be mighty hard to get past.