CHEVALIER’S MAIDEN DOUBLE FITTINGLY AT HOME

IT was fitting on a couple of counts that Marc Chevalier should celebrate his first training double at Hawkesbury today.

 Not only did the expatriate Frenchman also get his first provincial winner at his home track, but the horse who clinched his maiden double today was bred and is raced in partnership with syndicate members by his long-standing client, Dr Ulysess Crosson.

Chevalier’s double with He’s Got Grunt (pictured $21) in the XXXX Gold 3YO Maiden Handicap (1400m), and The Iron Star ($7.50) in the Richmond Club Class 1/Maiden Plate (1800m) – both ridden by Tyler Schiller – boosted his season winners to seven, and he was understandably thrilled with the result.

“It was terrific to get my first double at my home track, where my first provincial winner was The Crimson Idol (F&M Benchmark 64 Handicap, 1500m on November 17, 2022),” he said this evening.

“The double came as a bit of a surprise as I didn’t really expect He’s Got Grunt to win at his first start for me, but I knew he was fit.

“The Iron Star has been unlucky at his last couple of starts, and I was confident he would run really well again.”

Chevalier has called Hawkesbury home since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, and won his first race at Bathurst in January 2022 with Tri Nations.

His stakes breakthrough came later that year in the Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) at Royal Randwick with the much-travelled Torrens.

He’s Got Grunt, a three-year-old son of dual Group 1 winner Grunt, joined Chevalier’s stable after Blueblood Thoroughbreds decided to transfer him from a leading stable.

But he wasn’t a stranger to the trainer when he arrived.

“I pre-train some horses for Blueblood, and he was one I had here before,” he said.

“Whilst I was looking forward to kicking him off today, I honestly didn’t expect him to win.

“He is going to appreciate getting to 1600m and even more, and Tyler gave him a great ride.”

He’s Got Grunt finished strongly near the inside to upset favored pair Stardust Memories ($2.70) and $1.75 favorite Movie Night.

Chevalier can justifiably be proud of himself as He’s Got Grunt had not raced since early January, and he had him ready to run out a strong 1400m.

He now is training three other horses for Blueblood syndicates.

Chevalier is confident his second winner The Iron Star can make his mark in the city.

Coming from last, the Stratum Star four-year-old overhauled Portsmouth ($4.80) and Chaithnia ($17).

“The fact that he can produce a turn of foot at the end of his races is going to take him a long way toward winning middle-distance races in town,” he said.

“He has been very unlucky not to win his last two runs, one of them at Canterbury.

“I was a bit worried when he was last in the run today, but Tyler obviously knew what he was doing.”

The Iron Star is the first foal of The Iron Maiden, who is rising 17 years of age and raced until she was 11.

Prepared at Wyong by now retired Jeff Englebrecht, the mare raced 126 times for 12 wins and 29 placings.

Coincidentally, Galactic Force, who won the opener today for Wyong trainer Sara Ryan, is no stranger to Chevalier either.

The ex-Victorian three-year-old was another horse he pre-trained for Blueblood Thoroughbreds.

Galactic Force ($1.75 favorite) was the first of three winners for jockey Tim Clark when he took the Maiden Plate (1300m) at only his third start for his new trainer.

Clark also was aboard Newcastle trainer Nathan Doyle’s Blessed Express ($7) in her defeat of The Prospect ($20) and the winner’s stablemate Hellfighter ($3.30) in the Super Maiden Plate (1500m).

STORY JOHN CURTIS, JUNE 23, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS