Marine Nationale completes Champion Chase double with Punchestown win
MARINE NATIONALE BACKED up his Cheltenham win with an impressive victory in the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown.
Fresh from a wide-margin success in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at last month's Festival, Barry Connell's stable star was the 2-1 second-favourite to come out on top in a fascinating clash with the brilliant Ryanair Chase winner Fact To File (11-10).
While the latter looked to be struggling to keep up with the strong pace being set by Solness from an early stage back over an extended two miles, Marine Nationale travelled strongly throughout under Sean Flanagan, although the race did look in the balance until El Fabiolo suffered his third fall in his last four starts two fences from home.
Marine Nationale was in full command from that point and quickened up smartly from the final obstacle to pull seven lengths clear of Captain Guinness, with Solness third and Fact To File a bitterly disappointing last of four finishers.
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Marine Nationale ridden by Sean Flanagan on their way to winning. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
Barry Connell reacts after his horse Marine Nationale wins. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
Champ Kiely upset his better fancied stablemate Ballyburn to claim top honours in a dramatic renewal of the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown.
Willie Mullins saddled five of the eight runners that went to post for the Grade One contest, but first his Cheltenham Festival hero Lecky Watson fell at the fifth obstacle and brought down stablemate Impaire Et Passe before a third Closutton runner, Ile Atlantique, came to grief a few fences later.
Danny Mullins wins The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Steeplechase on Champ Kiely. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Ballyburn, an 11-8 favourite to bounce back from Cheltenham disappointment, moved to the front on the second circuit – but 22-1 shot Champ Kiely and Danny Mullins sat in his slipstream before the home turn and had more to give in the straight, with six and a half lengths separating the pair at the line.
Mullins said: 'Champ Kiely didn't enjoy Fairyhouse (finished third nine days ago) but today he was a different horse, and Danny rode him with huge confidence to follow Paul.
'He did everything right for Danny today. With all the hard luck we had in the race between fallers and a horse being brought down, it was great to see Danny getting into the picture at the third-last and I said this fella has a chance if Ballyburn doesn't stay in front.'
Danny Mullins celebrates winning The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Steeplechase. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Of Ballyburn, he added: 'He probably just didn't jump well enough on the day and I would say there'll be a lot of thought put into going back hurdling next season.
'We know he jumps hurdles fantastically and there might be a gap in the staying hurdling division for him.'
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Extra.ie
17 hours ago
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Connacht lost their way after Pro12 triumph in 2016. Lancaster can bring the glory days back to Galway
There was a serious buzz around Connacht HQ yesterday. The new high-performance centre is up and running. A new 7,000-capacity North Stand isn't far from completion and the new head coach was doing the rounds. It's been a few days since Stuart Lancaster was announced as the province's new supremo but there is still an element of shock and giddy excitement among the fanbase. It's been a few days since Stuart Lancaster was announced as the province's new supremo but there is still an element of shock and giddy excitement among the fanbase. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher Along with Joe Schmidt, the affable Englishman is arguably the most influential coach to grace these shores. And now he's back for a second chapter with Connacht. Lancaster did phenomenal work during his seven-season stay with Leinster. It wasn't just on the training pitch where he had a major impact. Players and staff still speak about the influence he had on the culture of the environment while Lancaster is revered by club and schools coaches for his time and dedication to the grassroots. He was incredibly generous with his time and saw the value in bringing young coaches into the inner sanctum. It merely reinforces the feeling that the former Leinster head coach can reinvigorate an operation which has lost its way in recent times. Lancaster was on site at Dexcom Stadium yesterday and gave his first media interview. He spoke of Connacht having a 'sense of identity' as one of his major goals. And that's the big project for the 55-year-old in the coming months and years. Lancaster knows that this Connacht reboot won't be an overnight success, but the foundations are strong. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile A sense of identity has been the missing link for quite some time. What have Connacht stood for and hoped to achieve in recent seasons? At times, this squad hasn't looked especially organised or motivated in big games. Too often, Connacht checked out long before the final whistle. In truth, the club has been on the wane since Pat Lam departed in the summer of 2017. Andy Friend brought consistency, direction and good vibes during his stint as head coach. The likeable Aussie bookended the fairly disastrous reigns of Kieran Keane and the recently departed Pete Wilkins. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher Lancaster is a different level. He will bring world class coaching to the field. He will streamline the pathway from grassroots to the senior setup. He will challenge the playing group to evolve. He will inject a much-needed boost of adrenaline into the entire setup. Most importantly, the presence of Lancaster at the forefront of the coaching ticket might encourage a few more fringe players at rival provinces to make the move out west. Connacht has always been Ireland's development province. It hasn't felt like that for a while, however. If anything, the other provinces – who have superior resources – have been benefiting more from Connacht than the other way around. Tom Farrell, Diarmuid Kilgallen and Andrew Smith have all left to join Munster. All three have won rave reviews down in Thomond Park. It harks back to a time when a host of quality players were leaving in their droves. Robbie Henshaw, Mike McCarthy, Fionn Carr, Sean Cronin and Jamie Hagan all left Connacht in a short spell of time to pursue new opportunities with Leinster and Munster. It was a kick in the teeth for the fanbase at the time. With Lancaster on board, the hope is that the flow of players will be in the opposite direction. There's been a worrying turnover in the Connacht squad, season on season. The province desperately needs a bit of stability. The current squad is a bit imbalanced. Connacht have an abundance of riches in certain departments. Scrum-half is one such position, with Ben Murphy, Caolin Blade and Matthew Devine battling it out for game time. But the playing group looks worryingly shallow in other positions. Connacht could benefit from some reinforcements in the summer. Perhaps Lancaster could convince a few fringe Leinster players to head west? Will Connors has been approached about moving to Connacht in the past but the Leinster openside declined the province's advances. Maybe his head might be turned now that his former mentor is at the helm? Connors has only featured for Leinster eight times this season and he has struggled to break into the matchday 23 on big Champions Cup days. He would be a smash hit in Galway. The likes of Brian Deeny and Alex Soroka could benefit from a move, too. Academy prospects such as promising out-half Casper Gabriel, hooker Stephen Smyth – who will tour with Ireland next month – and young loosehead prop Alex Usanov are other Leinster players on the periphery who could thrive at Connacht. Max Clein, Sean Edogbo, Michael Foy and Gordon Wood are a clutch of Munster rookies who would benefit from a few years in Galway. If Leinster, Munster and Ulster fringe players begin to move towards Connacht in the next few years then Lancaster's project will be a huge success. Players need to start seeing Connacht as an alternative route into the national setup when they are struggling for exposure at their home province. Ben Murphy is a great recent example of a player who took a gamble early in his career and made the switch. Murphy is reaping the rewards and is likely to win his first Test cap for Ireland next month. The perfect template for Connacht is a batch of homegrown players, supplemented by arrivals from rival provinces with a smattering of high-quality overseas recruits. The Connacht squad which claimed Pro12 glory in 2016 was the perfect example. The team had hometown heroes such as Tiernan O'Halloran (Clifden), Robbie Henshaw (Athlone), Ronan Loughney, Eoin McKeon (both Galway) and John Muldoon (Portumna), while Matt Healy and Niyi Adeolokun were talented wings who had fallen through the cracks in the Leinster system. AJ McGinty, Kieran Marmion and Ultan Dillane also took the scenic route to Connacht. Bundee Aki, Tom McCartney, Aly Muldowny and Jake Heenan were smart, high-quality NIQ signings. This was a group which tore a star-studded Leinster to shreds in that memorable Pro12 final at Murrayfield nine years ago. It will take a bit of time but Lancaster's Connacht will be built on similar foundations. This is win-win for everyone. Connacht and the IRFU stand to benefit from Lancaster's presence. The Westerners have looked rudderless for too long. Finishing 13th in the URC standings, missing out on the playoffs and Champions Cup rugby is simply not good enough. The only way is up and, luckily, the province have a serious operator overseeing the rebuild. Lancaster will lean on the likes of Aki, Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham and Cian Prendergast to lead by example. Connacht have a young squad brimming with potential. Now, they have world class facilities, a proper stadium and a proven head coach. There's hasn't been much to shout about in Connacht for quite some time. That's about to change. The West is about to wake up.
