French connection has Torrens on track for Winter Cup breakthrough

Hawkesbury is a long way from home for Frenchman Marc Chevalier but it is where his passion for the horse and training has taken him.

Chevalier came out to Australia in his twenties for a six-month trip after working at Shadwell Stud and for the Aga Khan. That has turned into a 13-year stay including stints at Arrowfield Stud, being a foreman for Lloyd Williams and working as an assistant to Danny O’Brien and Gary Moore before taking out a training licence.

It was a great grounding, and Chevalier is starting to get the right horses now to go with it.

“I started training three years ago at Hawkesbury, and it was a bit of a slow start, but now it is really picked up nicely over the last three months,” Chevalier said. “It means I’m starting to get horses given to me, rather than owning them myself.

“Winning a few races makes it easier and means the stable is full.”

Everyone’s A Star has been a big part of Chevalier’s growth in 2024 after finding the winner’s circle five times since joining the yard last year.

And Torrens gives Chevalier a stayer competitive at stakes level, like in Saturday’s Winter Cup (2400m) at Rosehill, where the Frenchman will have him at his peak with a blend of the Australian training style and his European roots.

“We just give him a lot of slow work, keep him fit, keep him sound and he’s enjoying it. It’s a bit more of a European style of training,” he said.

“We try to mix the best of both worlds, and it seems to be working well with him.”