WHEN Tim Fitzsimmons saddles up Onesmoothoperator in Tuesday’s $10 million Melbourne Cup, he will become the first Bendigo-based trainer in 40 years to have a runner in ‘the race that stops the nation’ and just the fifth person in history to train a starter from the Central Goldfields.
It’s been long and at times windy road since Fitzsimmons’ livelihood in Singapore was pulled from him three years ago, forcing him to relocate back to Victoria, but Tuesday marks a crowning moment in the Group 1 winning trainer’s career.
“Until the barrier draw on Saturday night, it wasn’t until then I sat back and thought ‘gee, I am about to have a Melbourne Cup runner, this is a big thing’,” Fitzsimmons shared.
“It’s the race I’ve always wanted to have a runner in and the way the race is now it’s a lot different to when I was a kid and maybe it was an attainable dream… the dream has got harder and harder.
“And there are so many hurdles getting in and passing the vets.
“There’s no other race like it – there’s only one Melbourne Cup – two miles, horses from all over the world, 100,000 people. It’s another level.”
Life is full of sliding doors moments and one of those openings 20 years ago will take the former St Bernards College graduate just a few miles up the road on Tuesday for the greatest two mile contest of all at Flemington.
A visiting English trainer in Brian Ellison would visit Jim Conlan’s Cape Schank training property in 2006 where Fitzsimmons was working and later employ him to head to Perth to saddle up the teams imported Perth Cup runner Bay Story – who subsequently was beaten a head.
Defeat aside, it formed a lifelong friendship between the young Aussie and Englishman.
So, when managing owner Patrick Boyle was recommended by Ellison to leave his banner horse in Australia under Fitzsimmons’ care, a trip to Bendigo on Cup Day last year to tour the facilities sealed the deal. Since then, the Melbourne Cup has been the sole goal for the now tagged ‘Bendigonian’ and the horse simply nicknamed ‘Smoothie’.
BENDIGO’S 40 YEAR WAIT
In recent years Anudjawun for Shaun Dwyer and Josh Julius’ Super Girl had attempted and gone close to making the final field of 24 on the first Tuesday in November.
In a brief but unsuccessful attempt, local trainers Arthur Pace, Steven Lake and Les Robertson even tried to reignite the career of one-time boom stayer Leica Falcon.
But the last Bendigo-trained Melbourne Cup starter in fact dates back to 1986 when the George Symons-trained Fordyce finished 19th behind At Talaq, strapped by a young Rod Symons.
13 years earlier it was Tom Torpy’s opportunity with Narthanya who finished 11th behind Gala Supreme, which followed on from Sailor’s Guide’s 10th placing for George Daniel in 1956.
The closest a Bendigo-trained horse has finished in the Melbourne Cup was in fact the town’s very first attempt in 1925, when the Harry McCalam-trained Manfred finished second behind Windbag after leading for most the race.
With Sailor’s Guide and Manfred both having rooms named after them at the Bendigo racecourse, the race club committee may need a new agenda item for their next meeting after Tuesday if Fitzsimmons’ 60/1 chance is to salute.
“It’s good for Bendigo,” he emphasised.
“Since he got in the field I have had a lot of messages from people I haven’t heard from in a long time and that’s just the power of the race.
“The Melbourne Cup is for people who have no interest in racing normally because they might be involved in a Cup sweep and see the name. I was a bit lost in Singapore.
“And the Bendigo Jockey Club has been incredible – I’ve had full access to the course proper for every bit of work he’s done and they have moved heaven and earth.
“We are such a small racing community there’s no jealousy, everyone wishes everyone luck and the next morning after anyone gets a winner there are well dones.
“It suits me, I like the quiet and don’t like the rat race ‘keeping up with the Jones’’ - genuine country people who help each other out where we can.
“I love the place – it’s a great place to live and raise my family - I love the stables I bought and I just hope he runs well and does everyone in Bendigo proud.”
THE CUPS GLOBAL ATTRACTION
The enormity of Tuesday’s runner isn’t lost on Fitzsimmons, who spent short stints working for Lloyd Williams and Bart Cummings the most successful names in Cup history, but in those crossover periods, neither of them saddled up cup fancies.
Even spending 17 years abroad in Singapore, the Cup had never lost its pulling power.
“Laurie Laxon, John Meagher, Corey Brown, Michael Rodd, Glenn Boss all spent time in Singapore and all told me their different Cup stories and they’ve all won lots of big races but they all said nothing compares or comes close to a Cup,” Fitzsimmons shared.
“The Cup would be on midday Singapore time and you would race to finish work in the morning and go home or to the Boomerang Bar and a big group of Aussies would meet.
“Even at Kranji, they would put on a massive day in the grandstand and have Melbourne Cup Day and dress up and watch like they were going to the races.”
THIRD TIME LUCKY?
Fitzsimmons opted to skip Saturday evenings barrier draw, preferring to be at home with the horse who he admits he hasn’t left his side in recent weeks whether it be swimming, walking, bandaging or feeding his Cup hope.
A security guard will arrive at Bendigo on Tuesday morning and help escort the flashy American-bred gelding to Flemington. Having to arrive three hours before the race it means an approximate 9am departure for a race which jumps when the clock strikes 3pm.
Trained out of Werribee as a raider at his first two Melbourne Cup attempts, Fitzsimmons has opted to apply blinkers for the first time on the nine-year-old when Declan Bates is legged aboard on Tuesday.
Having started $7 second favourite in 2024, he admits he heads into the race without the same pressure as Ellison but emphasises he isn’t there to make up the numbers.
“He has run 12th and 16th in the race before so if he could run better than those two you’d be very happy and if he ran top 10 it would be great,” he said.
“He is a funny horse, he is such a tough horse but then he can be difficult and quirky in other ways – the littlest little thing can turn into something.
“He would be the kid at school who is allergic to everything but he is so sound but at nine years of age he isn’t the easiest to train.
“We gave him every chance to see how he pulled up after Geelong – we want to run obviously but if we weren’t happy with him I wouldn’t be running him for the sake of it.
“And his gallop on Friday is the best piece of work since I’ve had him.
“He has been canned a bit in the media but if you look at his Herbert Power run – I think if people look at the margins and where he came from in the run - his run and sectionals were terrific.”
THE DREAM
Fitzsimmons and his wife Joan will watch on from the Mounting Yard and there are already plans to not make it the last time they pay a visit to Flemington on the first Tuesday in November – perhaps unless they win - Makybe Diva style.
“It would genuinely (change your life),” he said of winning.
“I know people keep going after a Cup win but I could walk away in a romantic way and say that will do me – how do you top that?
“It’s a race you get the bug and we already have.
“We are already looking overseas to try and buy something and get a group together, a couple of my owners share the same dream and this is probably whetting the appetite, and we will be trying to keep Bendigo in the Cup in years to come.”
As for what he’d tell his children if he brought home a Melbourne Cup through the door on Tuesday night?
