‘He looks fantastic’: Stable star’s smooth return excites Fitzsimmons

A TRIP to Kyneton earlier in the month did not produce a winner for leading Bendigo trainer Tim Fitzsimmons with his two starters, but he did return home with something even better.

Following a month in the paddock at Simon Zahra’s spelling and rearing farm Nunkeri Park, near Kyneton, Fitzsimmons’s star stable acquisition Onesmoothoperator was picked up for a return to his Bendigo stables.

Winner of the 2024 Geelong Cup and this year’s Moonee Valley Gold Cup, it was revealed in late October that the eight-year-old gelding would be transferred to Fitzsimmons’s care by good friend Brian Ellison after his run in this year’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup.

A stayer who thrives on firmer ground, he finished 17th after struggling on the soft ground.

Excited by the opportunities that lay ahead, a buoyant Fitzsimmons said Onesmoothoperator had returned in good order.

“He looks fantastic. He’s had a couple of weeks’ work there (at Nunkeri Park). He looks fantastic; he’s bright and he’s about to turn nine, but he doesn’t know that,” Fitzsimmons said.

“Obviously his run in the Moonee Valley Cup was sensational. So he’s really exciting.”

Having spent roughly six of the last 15 months down under, highlighted by his dual cup wins, Fitzsimmons is optimistic Onesmoothoperator can hit the ground running when he makes his much-anticipated return.

“His main issue over there (England) was finding dry tracks; he really doesn’t go a yard on the wet tracks,” he said.

“We just saw in the Melbourne Cup with that rain that came just before the cup ruined his chances.

“And he’s a horse that loves speed on. As Brian (Ellison) said, you can’t ride him upside down, you’ve just got to drop him out.

“Over here, there’s a lot more options for him. That was the idea of keeping him here.”

While some early thought was given to a tilt at the Perth Cup on New Year’s Day before being quickly reconsidered, Onesmoothoperator will now be set for a big autumn campaign.

Possible targets include feature races in Melbourne and Sydney and potentially the Adelaide Cup.

“We have a rough plan, but nothing set in stone,” Fitzsimmons said.

“We’ll get him going, trial him up; there’s so many options in the autumn.

“We’ll decide amongst the owners.

“We’ll probably kick him off over 1800 to 2000. His runs over the mile and a half have been great.

“He’s never had the conditions to suit him in those two miles races (2024 and ’25 Melbourne Cups). I’m not saying he’s not a two-mile horse, but he needs speed on, so it will be great to see what he can do over something a bit shorter early in the autumn.”

In the meantime, Fitzsimmons is excited about the forthcoming debuts of a crop of two-year-olds, singling out the Red Mink as one to keep an eye on.

The Bivouac filly impressed in her only jump-out to date, winning on her home track at Bendigo in early October.