Double Cheltenham Festival winner receives hero's welcome at Nurney GAA
Nurney GAA comes out in force to welcome Marine Nationale to their grounds Photos: Jimmy Fullam
Ger McNally There was a great turnout at Nurney GAA club last Friday evening to welcome double Cheltenham Festival winner Marine Nationale and his trainer and owner Barry Connell.
Connell’s Boherbaun Stables are in nearby Gorteen and he was delighted to introduce the horse who followed up his 2023 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle win with a victory in last month’s Champion Chase to the local people.
“We’re very proud to represent the area here,” said Connell.
“There’s not too many National Hunt horses still trained in Kildare, it’s 20 years I think since the last Kildare horse that won the Champion Chase so we are delighted to be able to bring him down here and show him to all the local community,” he added.
Bringing pride to the local area is something that Connell takes great joy from.
“We have ten staff, they are all local people and we couldn’t do what we do without the wonderful staff that we have,” he said.
Syl Merrins, Nurney GAA Chairman, said:
“This horse is the peak of National Hunt racing and a great source of pride to us locally and we’re delighted to welcome him and Barry here this evening.”
Marine Nationale is expected to run again this season at the Punchestown Festival later this month but Connell is already making plans for next year’s Cheltenham Festival.
“He’s been over to Cheltenham twice and he’s won twice so we are really lucky to have him. He’s still quite young, he’s only eight and has only had 11 runs in his life so we are looking forward to the next couple of years, hopefully he’ll go back again next year,” he said.
As well as Marine Nationale, Connell also saw his stable mate William Munny run a superb race at the Cheltenham Festival when he finished second to Kopek Des Bordes and although he is now finished of the season, Connell has high hopes for him also.
“William Munny ran a brilliant race, he was there right to the end and was only beaten by a length and a half. Nine times out of ten he probably would have been good enough to win the race but we are looking forward to next year when he will probably go jumping a fence,” he said.
