The spark for racing was first lit for Bendigo trainer Tim Fitzsimmons during his time in Nagambie, where he listened to the radio broadcast of Empire Rose’s 1988 Melbourne Cup victory, trained by Laurie Laxon.
Laxon later achieved multiple champion trainer accolades in Singapore, a path Fitzsimmons also followed, becoming a champion himself before racing ceased 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 commented.
“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 now preparing to field his first Melbourne Cup (3200m) runner at Flemington on Tuesday, with Onesmoothoperator set to contest the race for the third time.
The trainer expressed that having a Cup runner so early in his career, following his relocation from Singapore, is a significant thrill.
“It’s certainly a bit different to any other race with all the protocols we have to go through,” Fitzsimmons remarked.
“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.”
Before his move to Singapore in 2007 to join Cliff Brown, Fitzsimmons had stints with the renowned ‘Cups King’ Bart Cummings and with owner Lloyd Williams, a notable figure in Melbourne Cup history.
A friendship with UK trainer Brian Ellison, who previously trained Onesmoothoperator in late 2006, led to Fitzsimmons taking charge of the gelding.
Fitzsimmons travelled to Perth with Ellison for the 2006 Perth Carnival, establishing a lasting family friendship.
Onesmoothoperator, having come from the UK with Ellison, finished twelfth in the 2024 Cup before running fourteenth last year.
Under Fitzsimmons’s care, Onesmoothoperator raced once in the autumn before beginning its third bid for Cup success.
The gelding finished ninth in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield and then 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 stated.
“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.” Considering the trainer’s confidence, the betting markets for the Melbourne Cup might offer some interesting propositions.
