CHEVALIER'S "STAR" READY FOR FIRST-UP CRACK AT HOME
- John Curtis
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Chevalier resumes his thrice city winner Everyone’s A Star in the Happy New Year Benchmark 64 Handicap (1000m) after consideration was given to retiring the mare, and has booked Tyler Schiller to reunite with her.
Schiller partnered the now six-year-old in those city victories last year as a four-year-old; two on the Kensington track in March, and a Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m) triumph at Rosehill Gardens the following month.
Everyone’s A Star hasn’t raced since June, and her trainer purposely has not trialled her in preparation for the first-up assignment.
“This 1000m race looked very suitable planning Everyone’s A Star’s return,” Chevalier said today.
“We did give a lot of thought to retiring her at the end of last season as she is getting older and has had some feet issues.
“However, we decided to give her a good spell and another preparation.
“Everyone’s A Star is in really good order, and would have trialled well had I gone that way.
“She is nice and fresh for the 1000m, and it’s great to have Tyler back on board.
“He has a great record on her and for my stable.
“It would be terrific to win the last race of the calendar year at my home track.
“I’m hoping we don’t get any more rain and if that’s the case, she should be suited.”
Everyone’s A Star has won first-up before; in fact at her first start for Chevalier after the retirement of Wyong trainer Jeff Englebrecht, who prepared the then filly for her first three runs as a two-year-old. Chevalier landed a Maiden Plate over Sunday’s course with her in June 2023 at her first start in nearly a year.
He since has won a further four races with her, including those three in town.
Chevalier and Schiller teamed at Kembla Grange yesterday with Everyone’s A Star’s stablemate The New Sinatra, who ran third at $31 in the Class 1 Handicap (1000m).
It was his first start in five months after a bleeding attack in July ruled him out of racing for a mandatory three months.
“We bought him online in March, and he has come back well after that enforced break,” Chevalier said.
“I’m sure there is further improvement in him.”
Hawkesbury’s leading trainer Brad Widdup has five acceptors at the meeting, but weather developments will play an important role in which horses he runs.
He has both Diamond Show and Tequisoda in the Mahoney Group Electrical Benchmark 64 Handicap (1800m), and named the former as a definite runner, with the latter likely to be kept for a different assignment next Saturday.
Apprentice Siena Grima, successful for Widdup on another mare Confess Our Dreams at Wyong two days ago, has the mount on Diamond Show.
Her 3kg claim lessens the four-year-old mare’s weight to 57.5kg, and she has won on both soft and heavy ground.
Diamond Show comes back to provincial grade after drawing the outside barrier when unplaced in a Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 29.
She had won first-up over 1400m at home on October 28 before a close fifth to Djapana in a 1600m Benchmark 72 Handicap at Newcastle’s Saturday metropolitan stand-alone fixture on November 15.
Widdup, who beat all comers to take his home track premiership last season, leads this season’s title with eight winners, two ahead of fellow Hawkesbury trainer Jason Attard.
. The rail is in the TRUE position, and course manager Digby Nuthall at 8.30am today posted a “Soft 6” rating following 18mm of rain in the previous 24 hours. A total of 13.5mm of irrigation was put on the track in the past week, but with the rainfall nothing in the previous 24 hours.
The seven-race program begins at 1.35pm.
