Connell convinced Marine Nationale is coming right for Cheltenham

Barry Connell believes he is heading to Cheltenham with the best Irish-trained prospect of toppling Jonbon in the Queen Mother Champion Chase – despite Marine Nationale’s defeat behind Solness on Sunday.

Winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle two seasons ago, his novice chase campaign was cut short after just two runs with a tendon injury.

The eight-year-old is gradually getting back to something like his old form, though, and Connell feels his last two races at Leopardstown will stand him in great stead for the spring.

“He had to do all the donkey work really,” said Connell, referring to Marine Nationale attempting to catch runaway leader Solness.

“The winner has had 17 runs over fences, he’s a hardened handicapper who got his own way in front and, to be fair to him, he jumped really well.

“At the back of the third last, Sean (Flanagan) had a decision to make and he went after the horse in front – and when you do that, chasing down the one in front, you sometimes pay the penalty.

“The good thing was that our horse did the hard yards and even from the back of the last, he hit the line very hard. It was 12 lengths back to Gaelic Warrior and another 10 back to Quilixios, the other horse who laid up with him.

“It was a really truly run race, they were up to 34mph at a couple of stages, it was a proper-run Grade One, which is what you want.”

Having missed out on the majority of his novice season, Connell thinks Marine Nationale is still making up for lost time.

“That’s only his fifth run over fences, the ninth of his life. The big thing I took out of Christmas was his round of jumping and yesterday I thought he was even better again, he’s having a real cut now, which is what you need to do over two miles,” he said.

“He has a couple of lengths to find on the winner but going to Cheltenham, we are a course and distance winner on the Old course, we know we act on it.

“Having comprehensively beaten the other Irish horses, I know Energumene wasn’t there but all the others were, I would be confident that we’ll be going there with the best Irish challenger to take on Jonbon.

“I think we’ve every right to come forward again experience-wise and maybe we’ll get a bit of drier spring ground.

“We were thrilled with the run, he’s showed the suspensory injury is fully healed, he’s coming on nicely with each run and he’ll be perfect for Cheltenham and Punchestown, hopefully.”