With 16 meetings left in the 2023 season, trainer Tim Fitzsimmons is well placed – four back with cover in racing parlance – to add a second Singapore champion trainer’s title to his win last year.
It was known that the late training legend, Laurie Laxon, won the last three of his nine trainers’ premierships in succession from 2012 to 2014, and since then, no other trainers has made it back-to-back wins at Kranji.
Former four-time Singapore champion trainer Mark Walker, who trains in New Zealand now, did go close when he won the titles in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, but it was not easy to keep a stable on top for consecutive years on a competitive circuit like Singapore’s.
As it stands, trainer Jason Ong leads the premiership with 38 wins; three ahead of 2020 champion trainer Michael Clements, while Fitzsimmons is one further back on 34 wins.
It will be game on for the trio as the season enters the business end of proceedings. With 16 runners this Saturday, including Emergency Acceptors No 1 Boomba and No 3 Buuraq Sixty-One in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m, Fitzsimmons is ready to make his move.
Not that he is looking that far ahead.
Last year, Fitzsimmons won his first title after a thrilling battle to the wire with trainer Donna Logan and while the affable Australian handler is busy concentrating on the task at hand, he conceded a change of fortune could tilt things in his favour.
“A lot of seconds this year,” quipped Fitzsimmons, who has found one better 52 times this year.
“So it would be nice to turn some of them into a win. The horses are running well and traditionally, my stable has a strong finish to the year. Hopefully that happens again.
“The competition with Donna last year definitely spurred me on. I know it’s tough to win two (trainers’ premierships) in a row, but the stable is working hard to give it a crack. That keeps things interesting for sure.”
Fitzsimmons can probably eat into Ong’s lead, or at least stay in touch with a winner or two on Saturday. While drawn wide in gate 14, Royal Commission would be one of the Fitzsimmons’ runners that is ready to win if things go his way in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1400m.
“The gate hurts his (Royal Commission) chances,” said Fitzsimmons of the three-year-old son of Starcraft.
“But his debut run (when he finished third to May in a Restricted Maiden race over 1100m on August 6) was good.
“He has trialled well since (finished second to Lim’s Saltoro in trial no 6 on August 31). (Jockey) Bruno (Queiroz) stays on and his riding style suits him.
“We also have Ben’s Champion (x Needs Further) and Geobels Glory (x Kermadec) in the race. They both looked like milers and I like them too. All three of them should be able to add to the stable tally at some stage this year.”
Another maiden runner that could open his account on Saturday was Maze in the $30,000 Class 5 race over 1000m. The Toronado four-year-old gelding was well beaten into second by Fighting Hero in a similar affair on August 13, but Fitzsimmons reckoned Maze can go one better after drawing barrier four.
“No one was beating the winner (Fighting Hero) last start and (jockey) Vlad (Duric) had to work early on Maze from the wide gate (10),” he explained.
“We had everything else covered, so from gate four in a similar field, we should go very close.”
Of his more exposed runners, a recent change in tactics should start to pay dividends for Ace Sovereign (x Darci Brahma) in the $50,000 Class 4 race over 1600m while Raising Sixty-One (x Belardo) looked the pick of his quartet of runners in the $70,000 Class 3 race over 1700m.
“We rode him (Ace Sovereign) quiet last start (in a Class 4 race over 1600m on July 30) and he didn’t get to see daylight on the entire straight,” mused Fitzsimmons.
“Bruno rode him quiet again at his recent trial (won trial no 3 on August 29 in the time of 1min 1.32secs) too. He seemed to appreciate having no pressure early and it’s added another string to his bow. He can win.
“Raising Sixty-One is up in Class but he has the winning form on the board. He is the most dour horse in my stable. He would be even better over 3000m, so he will be strong late again and Vlad will suit him.”
