CHEVALIER'S DROUGHT-BREAKER HEADS BAG OF LOCAL WINNERS
- John Curtis
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
Thankfully that came back at Royal Randwick yesterday for the Hawkesbury trainer when he broke a 14-month drought – and did it in style with a mare could very easily have been approaching motherhood instead.
In doing so, Chevalier led a Hawkesbury foursome, with Jason Attard, Matt Vella and Ed Cummings also all posting victories at Kembla Grange’s provincial meeting.
Chevalier’s stable star Everyone’s A Star ($31) surprised even her trainer when she trounced her rivals in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m).
Ridden by Tyler Schiller and having only her second start since serious consideration was given to retiring her, Everyone’s A Star cut loose in the straight to score easily from fancied Kembla Grange pair, Joe Ible’s Spice Baby ($3.60 favorite) and Rob and Luke Price’s Zaragoza ($3.90).
“We’ve won six races with her, including four in town, and that was easily her best performance,” Chevalier reflected today.
“I didn’t think she would be that sharp, but she was brilliant.”
A $15,000 Inglis HTBA yearling purchase in 2021, Everyone’s A Star has indeed been a star for Penrith general practitioner Ulysses Crosson and his fellow partners.
“The Doc has a good eye for a horse,” Chevalier said.
“When she didn’t race well at a couple of starts last June, we discussed retiring her.
“Everyone’s A Star has been such a good mare to us that we wanted to look after her, and not race her once too often.
“She has had trouble with flat feet, and they weren’t growing.
“In the end we opted to give her a good spell and then another preparation and retire her immediately if she didn’t come up.
“Out farrier has done a terrific job with her feet, and I’ve been happy with her since she came back into training,
“She ran well first-up at home last month, and obviously after yesterday we won’t be retiring her just yet.”
Chevalier, who made it 19 career victories, had been winless since Without You scored at Hawkesbury in November 2024, and a dozen subsequent placings had occurred until yesterday.
“I’ve got 15 horses in work, including four pre-trainers,” Chevalier said.
“Of course I would like to have more horses and hopefully the mare’s victory yesterday will attract some new owners and enable me to purchase some yearlings this year.”
Chevalier understandably has a special liking for Randwick, where he clinched a stakes breakthrough with Torrens in the 2022 Listed Christmas Cup (2400m).
He also won two races on the Kensington circuit with Everyone’s A Star, and has high hopes for another Dr Crosson purchase, a North Pacific three-year-old filly named Stand My Ground.
“Doc paid $30,000 for her at the 2024 Inglis HTBA yearling sale, and I feel she is going to be allright.
“She had only the one run when a close fourth at over 1500m at Newcastle last October when on debut.”
Whilst Chevalier became the 21st Hawkesbury trainer to put his name on the winning list this season, Attard, Vella and Cummings all added to their records in 2025-26.
Attard surged into double figures; Cryptonic being his 10th winner so far this racing year, Vella’s Dynast King was his third, and Cummings’ very promising debutante Exfortythree his sixth since returning to his Hawkesbury surrounds.
Cryptonic ($7.50), under Keagan Latham, took the Provincial Benchmark 68 Handicap (1200m), and Attard says this is his easily his best start to a season.
“There have been some entire seasons where I haven’t trained 10 winners,” he said.
“I wasn’t all that impressed with Cryptonic’s last trial, but Keagan was as he said it was up to race time standard,” Attard said.
“I trusted his judgement and he was right.”
Attard has 13 horses in work at present, but only a few in racing trim. His good mares Oui Oui Oui and Nesrine (each unbeaten from three starts in their current campaigns) are enjoying short breaks.
Vella’s triumph with Lonhro three-year-old Dynast King ($16) in the Super Maiden Plate (1600m) at only his second start was yet another success for the gelding’s breeder Sir Owen Glenn, with whom he has had a lengthy assocation.
“Dynast King was sold to Hong Kong, but didn’t pass their stringent vet examination,” Vella said.
“But it was nothing which affected his galloping ability, and I said to Sir Owen that I would have a go with him.
“He was tough yesterday and has pulled up well, and so we will find another race for him in a couple of weeks.”
Dynast King’s rider Mitchell Bell is Vella’s most successful; this being his ninth win for him.
Vella has around 80 horses in his care, but only Dynast King and Twinkling Star (a winner twice at Hawkesbury earlier in the season) are being trained. The others form his very busy breaking-in and pre-training business.
Exfortythree ($3.50) justified his strong backing by outclassing his opposition on debut in the Midway Maiden Plate (1000m).
Ridden by leading apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald, Exfortythree romped home, with seemingly plenty in reserve, by nearly three and a half lengths from Zousari ($19) and Muscle Beach ($5.50).
Cummings’ father Anthony purchased the four-year-old son of Magnia Grecia for $200,000 at the 2023 Inglis Classic yearling sale.
Exfortythree was triple Group 1 winning trainer Ed Cummings’ 67th career victory – and, all going well, there are surely more to come with this gelding.
. Yesterday’s four winners boosted to 85 the number won by the Hawkesbury training base so far this season.
