CHEVALIER STANDS HIS GROUND FOR FOUR PILLARS COUP

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IT might not have carried black type, but it was the training performance of Marc Chevalier’s career.

The French expat formulated a long-range plan to win yesterday’s $500,000 Four Pillars Midway (1500m) at Royal Randwick with the relatively inexperienced Stand My Ground – and it paid off.

Ridden by Tyler Schiller, with whom Hawkesbury-based Chevalier has enjoyed considerable success, Stand My Ground ($10) overcame the near outside alley in an 18-strong and 59kg to edge out Wyong trainer Tracey Bartley’s Cuban Cigar ($7) in a thrilling finish, and pick up the $287,000 first prize.

Whilst Chevalier, who began training at Hawkesbury in 2021 after moving from Melbourne and won his first race with Tri Nations (Grant Buckley) at Bathurst early the following year, prepared the stayer Torrens to win the Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) at Randwick in December 2022, this was the finest of his 28 career victories to date.

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Always humble, Chevalier was too modest to acknowledge such a triumph, but today outlined how he planned for the mare to tackle the Four Pillars first-up at only her fifth start – and as the winner of one race, a 1600m Super Maiden Plate at Newcastle in March when also resuming.

“Stand My Ground ran well when fifth in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens after her Newcastle win, and then was eighth in the ATC Oaks (2400m) at Randwick,” Chevalier said.

‘Instead of going on to Brisbane for the Queensland Oaks (2200m) in June, myself and the owners chose to spell her.

“I knew as a Benchmark 70 rater, she would get in the Four Pillars (a Midway Benchmark 68 Handicap), and that was our target.

“I wanted to give her 14 weeks spelling, and then 15 weeks to get her ready.

“With 59kg, I didn’t want to risk running her and winning before the Four Pillars, and getting more weight.

“I made sure I had to time it right so that she was fit enough to go first-up.”

Chevalier carefully plotted a path to the $500,000 feature, and trailed her twice at home, winning the latest over 1250m on October 20.

The Hawkesbury horseman was with his great supporter Ulysses Crosson when the Penrith general practitioner paid $30,000 for the daughter of North Pacific at the 2024 Inglis HTBA yearling sale in Sydney.

“Ulysses and his wife Susan have good eyes for a horse,” he said.

“They had seen Stand My Ground on video, and asked me to have a look at her at the sale.

“I liked her enough, and thankfully as it turned out, Dr Crosson was able to buy her.

“But I never get too carried away with yearlings.

“My job is to educate them, and then see how they shape up.

“We never rushed this filly (now a four-year-old mare) and she came back stronger after the good break.”

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Chevalier intends backing up He’s Got Grunt at Randwick on Tuesday, after he finished fifth as favorite at Hawkesbury last Thursday.

He will run in the Midway Benchmark 72 Handicap (1800m) and, of course, Schiller is the rider.

“He’s Got Grunt lost his spot at Hawkesbury, and kept grinding to the line,” Chevalier said.

“He has done well since, and I’m putting winkers on him to see if they can switch him on.

“He’s Got Grunt has a good gate, so all going well in the next couple of days, we’ll

have a crack at the race.

“Randwick has been very good to me. I don’t mind going back there at all.”

Cuban Cigar’s trainer Tracey Bartley was back in the winning list at Muswellbrook today.

Bartley’s four-year-old mare Song For Rosie ($6.50), with apprentice Braith Nock aboard, resumed to defeat $2.60 favorite Cosmic Jinks in the Class 1 Handicap (1000m).

Newcastle’s internationally successful Paul Perry followed Bartley by winning the next race, the Class 2 & Above Benchmark 58 Handicap (1000m), with $3.70 favorite The Magic Man (apprentice Anna Weatherlake).

STORY JOHN CURTIS, NOVEMBER 1, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS