Francesca Cumani
Horse racing heir, Francesca Cumani, has spent a lifetime growing up by the track. Born into a family with over three decades of racing success, Cumani was blessed with brains and beauty.
Stepping into the spotlight, Cumani pursued a career beyond the stables in racing media, hosting CNN’s program, Winning Post, and as a panellist on Channel 7’s Melbourne Cup coverage.
Born in Newmarket, England, Cumani loved horses from a young age. Her father, Luca Cumani, is a successful Italian thoroughbred horse trainer. Cumani had a natural gift for language, speaking Italian fluently and majoring in French and Spanish at Bristol University.
From a young age, Cumani had a passion for horse racing. After many years of pestering her father to let her ride one of the family’s 100 horses, Cumani finally began riding racehorses at age 11. By 18 years of age, Cumani was licensed as an amateur jockey, had raced in over 25 races, and won four.
In 2006, Cumani brought two of her father’s racehorses to Australia to race in the Melbourne Cup. She worked alongside trainer David Hayes, and stayed in Australia for eight months to get know the industry.
Two years later, Cumani was approached by a Channel 7 executive and asked to join the panel for the Melbourne Cup coverage. With no media experience, and joining an all-male panel, Cumani was nervous about taking the job. But she successfully cemented herself in the spotlight, mixing up the stereotypes of women in horse racing media.
On the screens, Cumani is a picture of pure style and sophistication, but behind the scenes she says she much prefers her R.M. Williams to high heels. We look forward to seeing Francesca Cumani in November to cover the Melbourne Cup Carnival and tip our hats to this woman with drive!
You may also like