Owners hope to cash in on French connection Melbourne Cup-winning owners Colleen and Kevin Bamford will be hoping that a connection with France delivers a group 1 win at Caulfield on Saturday as French galloper Trevieres makes his Australian debut in the Toorak Handicap. Not only will Trevieres be the first European visitor to contest the Toorak, he will be the first Australian runner for trainer Markus Nigge. He is the father of Stephanie Nigge, strapper of the Bamfords' Melbourne Cup winner Americain. We were at Chantilly in June and we saw him win. He won very impressively there and we liked the look of him," Colleen Bamford said. He was suggested to us through Markus and Stephanie Nigge and we purchased him a few weeks before he had his last start at Deauville, which he won. He's a nice horse and the smallest horse here [at Werribee], but seems to have a big heart and a great turn of foot so hopefully he can show them that on Saturday. The winner of six from 20, Trevieres is yet to contest a group or listed race and so is being thrown into the deep end in a group 1 contest in his first start outside France. His stable is banking on a sharp turn of foot and progressive profile to help him make the leap, but go into the race with some trepidation as to whether the horse is best at a mile or 2000 metres. But Bamford is simply looking forward to seeing how the six-year-old measures up in Australia and says the horse has shown no signs of a travel hangover, although the same may not apply if Trevieres wins the Toorak on Saturday. "We're pretty excited about it and all being well on Sunday morning we've got some hangovers," she said.