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Tim Fitzsimmons, the former assistant trainer to Cliff
Brown who saddled more than 500 winners before calling it quits, finally
saddled the first winner of his own when MEGA GOLD saluted the judges in a
Restricted Maiden race over 1200m on the polytrack at Kranji here today.
Fitzsimmons was granted his trainer’s licence last April
but pnly moved into his stables four months later with only a handful of
horses passede down from other trainers.
The new season brought hope for the Australian after a
couple of placings earlier but it was one of the horses who landed last year
for him which achieved the breakthrough for him.
MEGA GOLD landed unraced last August and finished a
creditable fourth in his debut last month. With a switch of trainer to
Michael Rodd who was Brown’s No. 1 rider, the son of Giant’s Steps came from
off the pace early to win drawing away by 1 1/2 lengths.
"It’s fantastic, it’s a huge relief," said an emotional
Fitzsimmons. "It’s fitting and fantastic that it’s Michael who rode my first
winner, but how can I not mention about Marc Lerner who helps me a lot with
the horses and would have ridden my two horses tonight, if he was not
suspended."
"I was not overly frustrated I haven’t had my first
winner. It helps that I’ve been here for so long, I was not panicking, if
anything, it felt like other people wanted that first winner more than me!"
MEGA GOLD was his 22nd runner.
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