Fitzsimmons on a Country Discovery 2025 tour

Golden Monkey is ready to begin a new chapter in Australia with his debut run in the Country Discovery (1000m) at Echuca on Friday, and trainer Tim Fitzsimmons is eager to see how the Singapore import measures up.

The seven-year-old boasts an impressive Singapore resume with eight wins and 16 placings from 31 starts. He was part of a 10-horse team that Fitzsimmons brought with him after racing ceased in Singapore last October.

“Monkey has been my best horse,” Fitzsimmons said.

“He was champion three-year-old, champion four-year-old and he won the Derby and if it wasn’t for Lim’s Kosciuszko, he would probably be the best horse up there.

“It was a bit like Hay List and Black Caviar. I think at the end he ran second to him in five Group 1’s, but he won five Group races himself, so he’s a handy horse, but he could just never get past him.”

While the Singapore Derby win was over 1800m, Fitzsimmons says Golden Monkey’s sweet spot is between 1200 and 1400 metres. That makes the 1000m race on Friday more of a fitness builder than a true target.

“He needs a fast pace on, needs to be ridden quiet, so he does need luck,” Fitzsimmons said.

“If he can get a suck run through them and get out late, he’s got a really good last 350-metre sprint.

“We would have preferred 1100 or 1200, but it’s a nice starting point and then if he runs well in that then we’ll run him in the Wagga Town Plate over 1200 metres.

“We want to see where he’s at early. We’re not aiming for the skies as he’s an older horse now.

“There’s a race up on the Sunshine Coast, The Glasshouse, over 1400 metres, that might be alright for him later on.

“With his rating, he’s up with the big boys, but I was really happy with how he’s trialled.”

Fitzsimmons, who previously served as assistant trainer to Cliff Brown for 12 years, compares Golden Monkey to another Singapore star in The Inferno, who made a strong impact when transitioning to Australian racing.

“The Inferno did really well when he first came back. He nearly won a Group 1,” Fitzsimmons said.

“He was probably a little bit better than Golden Monkey, but we’ll learn a bit more on Friday.”