Golden Monkey leads Fitzsimmons’ treble

It was The Tim Fitzsimmons Show at the trials on April 11.

The Australian conditioner who, in recent years, has always featured among the top at Kranji, saddled the winners of three of the four trials staged.

However, and as sometimes happens, the spotlight sometimes falls elsewhere.

Like it was at the hit-outs, Fitzsimmons had to share the attention with two of Kranji’s biggest stars – Lim’s Kosciuszko and Golden Monkey.

Well, let us say, the end result was a three-way deadheat.

Fitzsimmons took training honours with his treble, which included two quinellas, while the two four-legged racers were the ones who had racegoers gushing over until late evening.

Then again, it was expected. When out on the track, they do not disappoint.

Take that second trial of the morning.

Off they went, the six of them, with Lucky Hero and then Dancing Supremo calling the shots in the early part of proceedings.

The “Monkey” was content to prance around in fourth spot, while always keeping an eye on his old nemesis, Lim’s Kosciuszko.

Into the stretch and with a furlong or so to travel, Golden Monkey got serious. So did Daniel Meagher’s “Kosi”.

A hundred metres out and Golden Monkey, noted for his finishing prowess, hit the front and cleared away to a half-length win.

Lim’s Kosciuszko also made a forward move but was never asked to do more than what was necessary. He eventually took third, just behind Dancing Supremo.

Golden Monkey clocked 1min 01.00sec – a pedestrian time by his lofty standards – while “Kosi” came home in 1:01.14.

That done, the curtain dropped on the trial which one could call a “coming attraction” to the big one on April 21 – the Group 2 EW Barker Trophy race (1,400m).

That will be the next time the two will face off and, like it has been in the past, it is going to be a thriller. Indeed, it has been a long while since the two money-spinners have clashed.

That was in the Group 1 Raffles Cup on Sept 23, 2023. Lim’s Kosciuszko won that one, leaving the “simian” wallowing in fourth spot.

Earlier in the first trial, Fitzsimmons’ Black Storm took the honours in a crowded finish.

He beat stablemate Saint Tropez by a neck. October took third, a further neck away.

The winner, who finished with a flourish, clocked 1:00.89.

In Black Storm, Fitzsimmons has a nice-looking four-year-old who could be going places.

To date, he has won two races from eight starts – that first one coming on July 30 when he was under Michael Clements. Sent over to Fitzsimmons, he rewarded his new master with a win on Jan 20.

Black Storm looks like a genuine miler and his owners, the Buffalo Stable, could be looking at more wins down the road.

The third of Fitzsimmons’ winners was Gold Governor.

He had Kranji “visitor” Charles Perkins in the saddle when leading all the way to land the goodies.

The four-year-old, who had to be scrubbed along over the 100m, beat the Meagher-trained pair of Lim Saltoro and Pacific Bao Bei.

Though having to take second place, Lim’s Saltoro was the name which went into many notebooks.

He has so far captured the imagination of racegoers with his five-from-five feat.

Six from six will not come as too big a surprise. Wait for it.

brian@sph.com.sg