Bendigo trainer Tim Fitzsimmons recalls the exact moment he first became captivated by horse racing.
Fitzsimmons was in Nagambie and tuned into the radio to hear Empire Rose claim the 1988 Melbourne Cup, a victory achieved under the guidance of trainer Laurie Laxon.
Laxon later achieved significant success as a multiple champion trainer in Singapore, a path Fitzsimmons also followed, culminating in a championship title before racing concluded in the island nation.
“It was the only race that I cared about when I was a kid and was the reason I got into racing in the first place,” Fitzsimmons stated.
“When I won the premiership in Singapore, they wrote an article, and I said my earliest ever racing memory was listening to the radio in Nagambie and hearing Empire Rose win the Melbourne Cup who was trained by Laurie Laxon.
“It was like a full circle moment when I won the premiership, and the fact Laurie had won so many during his time in Singapore.”
Fitzsimmons is set to saddle his inaugural Melbourne Cup (3200m) contender at Flemington this Tuesday, with Onesmoothoperator making its third attempt at the prestigious race.
For Fitzsimmons, securing a Melbourne Cup runner so early in his career, particularly after his move from Singapore, is a significant achievement.
“It’s certainly a bit different to any other race with all the protocols we have to go through,” Fitzsimmons commented.
“It’s exciting and will probably hit home on Tuesday when they’re in the parade ring and heading to the barriers.
“I’ll have to pinch myself.”
Prior to his relocation to Singapore in 2007 to work for Cliff Brown, Fitzsimmons gained valuable experience with the renowned ‘Cups King’ Bart Cummings and alongside the Cup’s most successful owner, Lloyd Williams.
A connection forged with UK trainer Brian Ellison, who was Onesmoothoperator’s previous trainer in late 2006, led to Fitzsimmons taking charge of the gelding.
Fitzsimmons had travelled to Perth with Ellison for a Perth Carnival in 2006, which solidified a lasting family friendship.
Onesmoothoperator, having travelled from the UK with Ellison, finished twelfth in the 2024 Cup before securing fourteenth place last year.
Now under Fitzsimmons’s care, Onesmoothoperator competed in one autumn race before commencing its third campaign for Cup glory.
The gelding finished ninth in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield and subsequently ran eleventh in the Geelong Cup on October 21, a race it had won in 2024.
“It was a flat run last time, but I thought his run before that was good,” Fitzsimmons remarked.
“The way the race was run last time, it was really gruelling and he never got into the race.
“We monitored him for a couple of days afterwards and he seems to have bounced back, so we’re going to put the blinkers on him.
“We thought about them the other day, but if I had my time over again, I would probably have gone straight to the Cup.
“I’m really happy with the way he’s worked since, and he seems bright and well, he’s very sound, so it’s all systems go.” If Onesmoothoperator can recapture its best form, it could offer value in the racing odds.
