Bendigo trainer Tim Fitzsimmons remembers when he first captured the racing bug.
Fitzsimmons was in Nagambie and listened on radio to Empire Rose win the 1988 Melbourne Cup, trained by Laurie Laxon.
Laxon would later become a multiple champion trainer in Singapore, where Fitzsimmons plied his trade to also become champion trainer 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 said.
“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 saddles his first Melbourne Cup (3200m) runner at Flemington on Tuesday when Onesmoothoperator lines up for his third attempt at the race.
And Fitzsimmons would like nothing more than to complete his own ‘Laxon set’ with a Melbourne Cup trophy to go alongside his Singapore Champions Trainers’ title.
For Fitzsimmons, just to have a Cup runner so early in his career after relocating from Singapore is a thrill.
“It’s certainly a bit different to any other race with all the protocols we have to go through,” Fitzsimmons said.
“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 heading to Singapore in 2007 to work for Cliff Brown, Fitzsimmons had stints with the ‘Cups King’ Bart Cummings and with the Cup’s most successful owner Lloyd Williams.
A friendship born with UK trainer Brian Ellison, Onesmoothoperator’s previous trainer in late 2006 led to Fitzsimmons getting the gelding to train.
Fitzsimmons travelled to Perth with Ellison for a Perth Carnival in 2006, establishing a long family friendship.
Travelling from the UK with Ellison, Onesmoothoperator finished 12th in the 2024 Cup before running 14th last year.
Left in Fitzsimmons care, Onesmoothoperator had one autumn start before embarking on his third quest for Cup glory.
Onesmoothoperator finish ninth in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield then ran 11th in the Geelong Cup on October 21, a race he won in 2024.
“It was a flat run last time, but I thought his run before that was good,” Fitzsimmons said.
“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.”
