Connell is confident that Marine Nationale can deliver third Cheltenham Festival win

Owner-trainer Barry Connell already has a pair of Cheltenham Festival triumphs to his name courtesy of Marine Nationale and he is aiming to make that a treble in the Cotswolds next month. The now nine-year-old is unbeaten in two starts at The Festival, having taken the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2023 and last year’s BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase, For this year’s renewal of the latter, he is currently the 9-4 second favourite with sponsor BetMGM and he will be bidding to win the two-mile chasing championship for the second year in succession.

Speaking at a media day at his yard in Nurney, organised by The Jockey Club, Connell said:

“He is very tall and leggy – very athletic. He is not a hard horse to get fit and he is, touch wood, very sound. He has a great temperament too. He goes and does his work, and you could put a child with him in his stable.” 

On Marine Nationale’s excellent record at The Cheltenham Festival, Connell said: “He has been to Cheltenham twice, won there twice and not been off the bridle twice. When he walks around the pre-parade ring (at Cheltenham) it’s like he’s walking around the courtyard here at home. Having the right temperament is a huge thing, especially for those championship races. The first time he ever came alive a bit was last year when there was a parade for the Champion Chase and he got a bit jig-joggy in that.

“He loves spring ground and loves Cheltenham. He was unbeaten over hurdles and in bumpers. He then won his beginners chase in Leopardstown and then ran at the Dublin Racing Festival which was the only bad run he’s ever had – it just didn’t happen for him.

“After that he got an injury to a suspensory ligament in front, so he missed most of his novice season and last year we were catching up on experience. It was only when he got to Cheltenham that he was the finished article.” 

Reflecting on his two outings so far this season which have seen Marine Nationale finish runner-up in both the Grade One Paddy Power Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and most recently in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at the same venue on February 1st.

Connell continued: “He was unlucky the first day – he probably should have won. On the RaceiQ data he lost 15 lengths with the mistake he made. He just came up out of Sean’s (Flanagan’s) hands too and was basically brought to a standstill. He was only beaten half a length.

“I live near Leopardstown and in the last 25 years I’ve never seen rain like before his latest run. It was the heaviest ground I’ve ever seen up there and the easy thing to do would have been not to run him. But I said we need to get a run into him and I don’t think it’s going to do him any harm. But he was never in a rhythm and in the first part of the race he was out of his comfort zone.

“To his credit, when they slowed it down halfway down the back he started to get back into it. He looked like he was going to be a bad third jumping the last but then stayed on again.

“I think we’ll see a different horse again in March. That’s not just my opinion – it’s backed up by the form book when you look at what he does when he goes there every year.

“He is nine years of age and in the prime of his life. We are looking forward to going back there. Majborough put in an excellent performance (when beating Marine Nationale last time out) – his jump index was absolutely off the radar and he met every fence spot on. The two soft ground horses in the race that day were Majborough and Found A Fifty and both of the outperformed. The two good ground horses were us and Solness. Solness pulled up and we got going in the end to finish second. I’d put a line through the run.

“On official ratings, we have 5lb to make up with Majborough but a lot of factors come into play in Cheltenham. Assuming we get spring ground and the Cheltenham factor with him having been there and won there twice, there isn’t much ground to make up.

“This morning was the first day he’d had the saddle back on him since Leopardstown. He came back from there and ate all his food and on the gallops today, there was not a bother on him.” For his 2023 Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle success, Marine Nationale was partnered to victory by Michael O’Sullivan, who tragically lost his life aged just 24 following a fall at Thurles last year.

Paying tribute, Connell said: “The day before we went last year, Michael’s girlfriend came here and we sat upstairs with Jennifer Pugh, who is the chief medical officer. She (Michael’s girlfriend) wanted to spend 10 minutes with Marine Nationale on her own.

“It was hugely emotional. Michael won his first bumper on Marine Nationale in Punchestown. I didn’t have an amateur at the time and he rang for the ride. He had ridden once for me before in a point-to-point.

“He started riding out here and you could just see the talent he had. I sat him down one day and said that you already have your college degree and are a good age so I think you should turn pro.

“When he turned pro he won a Grade Three on Enniskerry at Roscommon which was his first ride in a graded race and then I put him on Marine Nationale in the Royal Bond, which he won, and then he went on to Cheltenham and won the Supreme.

“Michael was a tremendous talent and ended up champion conditional rider. It was an incredible tragedy but unfortunately it’s a high-risk sport like motor racing. Most high-impact sports will have injuries over the years.

“It was terribly said but racing rallied around and was very supportive of Michael’s family. I think it was a great thing last year’s Supreme was named in his honour and it was a very emotional day.” Before Marine Nationale attempts to defend his crown in the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase, Connell will attempt to win a second Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle when Eachtotheirown lines up in the Festival opener.

Connell said: “He won his maiden hurdle in Galway and then we thought he was a certainty in the Royal Bond but in November we just seemed to have three or four weeks when the horses weren’t running well and ran a shocker. Never one to waste a good crisis, I applied for a handicap mark for him and was given a rating of 124.

“We went to Thurles two weeks ago and he won by nine lengths and went up 13lb to 137.

“I think he is definitely capable of running to a mark significantly higher than that. He had to make his own running in his maiden hurdle and in the handicap. I think a truly run championship race where you can drop him in will suit him and he’s a super jumper.

“He’ll be a big price for the Supreme, but I definitely think he’ll be competitive. It looks a strong Supreme this year.”