Latest news with #GrandAnnualHandicapChase
Reuters
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Horse racing-Jockey O'Sullivan remembered on poignant day at Cheltenham
March 12 (Reuters) - Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty were winners at Cheltenham on Wednesday, two years after Irish jockey Michael O'Sullivan won on both horses at the festival and less than a month after his death. O'Sullivan, who died aged 24 after sustaining injuries in a fall at Thurles Racecourse in Ireland, rode Marine Nationale to victory in the opening race at Cheltenham in 2023. The first race of this year's festival on Tuesday was renamed in O'Sullivan's honour, and Marine Nationale won the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The 5-1 shot, ridden by Sean Flanagan, romped home 18 lengths clear of favourite Jonbon. The horse's career began in 2022 with a victory at Punchestown under O'Sullivan, and Marine Nationale won five more races with him. "I'm just the man on him today, Michael made him what he is," Flanagan said. "It's hugely emotional for a lot of reasons. Jockeys in Ireland, England and around the world have been under a cloud in the last couple of weeks." O'Sullivan's former girlfriend Charlotte Giles greeted the horse in the winner's circle. "I'd like to say it's very poignant and very raw, the whole thing with Michael over the last three or four weeks has been horrible, horrible," Marine Nationale's owner and trainer Barry O'Connell said. "My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his girlfriend Charlotte is here and was with us saddling up the horse. Everybody in racing has come together for Michael and I hope this is a fitting tribute to him." O'Sullivan rode Jazzy Matty to victory on the opening day at Cheltenham two years ago, and the horse triumphed again in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase under jockey Danny Gilligan. "I think we all know there is someone very special looking down on this," Gilligan said.
The Guardian
12-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘That's for Michael': Marine Nationale leads poignant day at Cheltenham
At the moment of his greatest racing triumph, after a lifetime in the sport as a spectator, an amateur jockey, and owner and now a trainer, Barry Connell's thoughts after Marine Nationale's victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday turned, immediately and inevitably, to Michael O'Sullivan, who rode the same horse to victory in the Supreme Novice Hurdle here two years ago and died last month, from injuries sustained in a fall. 'The obvious thing is how raw and poignant it's all been over the last four weeks,' Connell said. 'Michael and myself went on a journey with this horse, he rode him in all his races in his novice season over hurdles. He started as a 7lb claimer with us and I asked him to turn pro, and he ended up winning three Grade Ones as a claimer and was leading rider [with two wins] on the first day [at Cheltenham two years ago]. 'It's an absolute tragedy that he's left us but he's a record that he can be really proud of, he's achieved more in a lifetime than a lot of riders who ride a lot longer ever achieve. So I'd like to dedicate this win to Michael and to his girlfriend Charlotte, who was here with the horse before when we were saddling up. Our hearts go out to all of his family and friends and his girlfriend, racing is a great community and gets behind people when things like this happen.' Sean Flanagan, Wednesday's winning rider, also paid tribute to O'Sullivan's role in Marine Nationale's success. 'First and foremost, his family obviously have to find it very hard,' Flanagan said. 'All the jockeys in Ireland, the UK and in the world have been under a cloud for the last couple of weeks. 'I'm only the man that steered him round today. Michael is the man who made him what he is. He will never be forgotten for that.' Connell and Flanagan's words encapsulated the emotion on an afternoon when, incredibly, O'Sullivan's double on the opening day of the festival in 2023, with Marine Nationale and then Jazzy Matty in the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle, was replicated on Wednesday's card when Jazzy Matty stormed home in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase just 40 minutes after the Champion Chase. Marine Nationale's victory, meanwhile, came at the end of another dramatic race at this year's meeting, and at the expense of another beaten odds-on favourite in Nicky Henderson's Jonbon. Jonbon is among the most popular and consistent horses in training, and went into Wednesday's race with a record of 17 wins from 20 starts. All three of his defeats, however, had come at Cheltenham, and the track got the better of him once again. He was slow to stride from a standing start, then took off a half-stride too soon at the fifth-last and all but catapulted Nico de Boinville from the saddle as he came down on top of the fence. De Boinville tried to work his way back into contention but the damage had been done, and Marine Nationale and Quilixios, the 40-1 outsider of the eight-strong field, had drawn clear as they raced towards the final fence. Flanagan appeared to be travelling best, but Quilixios was still alongside the winner when he hit the fence and fell, gifting an easy win to Marine Nationale as Jonbon stayed on into a distant second place. It has been a tough two days for Nicky Henderson, Jonbon's trainer, following the fall of Constitution Hill, the favourite, in Tuesday's Champion Hurdle, and the trainer suggested the standing start – on an afternoon when the riders seemed almost incapable of getting away first time – had put Jonbon on the back foot from the off. 'He missed his kick at the start,' Henderson said, 'and he was then not where he wanted to be. Nico was saying that the start was all contributory. They were right on the tape and it went straight across his face. 'The next thing was, he was chasing them, and he likes to be up there ramming it, but there we go. However, he has flown home.' Jonbon is priced up at around 10-1 to finally end his festival hoodoo in this race next year, but Marine Nationale, who is a year younger, seems the likelier of the two to be back as a major contender in 12 months' time, to continue his trainer's love affair with the two-mile chasing championship. 'He travels, he jumps, he has everything you'd want in a champion chaser,' Connell said. 'I've been coming racing here since I was a student in the 1980s, just as a punter, and it's the one race that I always wanted to win. 'It's pure, unadulterated, on-the-edge speed. The horses finish quickly, they don't finish tired like in the Gold Cup. It won't sink in for a long time.'
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The emotional 40 minutes that gave Michael O'Sullivan a fitting Cheltenham farewell
Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty won back-to-back races on a day of surprises in an emotional tribute to jockey Michael O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan, a 24-year-old jockey who passed away last month after a fall at Thurles racecourse, only won twice at the Cheltenham Festival with both victories coming on day one of the 2023 edition. His horses that day were Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty who both triumphed inside 40 minutes on Style Wednesday providing the perfect farewell to their previous rider. Cheltenham had already paid tribute to O'Sullivan by renaming yesterday's opening race in his honour yet the successes for his former horses provided more special moments for his family. Marine Nationale's pedigree is well known but he wasn't expected to triumph this afternoon in a Queen Mother Champion Chase field which included heavy favourite Jonbon, Willie Mullins ' Energumene and last year's winner Captain Guinness. Quilixios and Solness also ran having both beaten Marine Nationale in his previous three races and it was those two who proved more stubborn. They traded places at the front of the pack to lead the field for most of the race with Energumene also taking his turn at the top. Marine Nationale sat deeper allowing the leaders to jostle and that tactic paid off when Jonbon made his move. The odds-on favourite drifted to the outside and was stepping towards the front with five fences left to jump before clattering into the obstacle and dropping into last – jockey Nico de Boinville did exceptionally well to remain in the saddle. But it opened the door for Marine Nationale and his jockey Sean Flanagan. Flanagan spurred his charge onwards and closed the gap on the leaders. By the second to last fence, he'd leapt into the lead with Quilixios the only stayer. The lead looked to be slipping away as Quilixios found an extra gear, but the last fence proved decisive as his legs clipped the top and he went down. Marine Nationale cleared it to raucous cheers and Flanagan, wearing the same colours O'Sullivan did when he won here, soaked in the adulation as he crossed the line. After the race an emotioanl Flanagan said: "Hugely emotional for a lot of reasons. His [O'Sullivan's] family find it very hard, jockeys in Ireland, England and around the world have been under a cloud in the last couple of weeks. 'I'm just the man on him [Marine Nationale] today, Michael made him what he is. Every race is a race by race ride. I'm just lucky I can come here. I'm only drafted in late on, the work was already done." O'Sullivan's girlfriend Charlotte was among those in the circle to welcome the victors. In the very next race, Jazzy Matty left it late to surge through the field in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase. Rounding the final turn at full gallop he caught the leader, Unexpected Party, and jumped the last fence with a share of the lead. The two battled up the hill on the final straight with neither giving way but Jazzy Matty had more. Whether it was will, spirit, an encouraging nudge from jockey Danny Gilligan or a twinge of destiny, Jazzy Matty slowly fought his way into the lead and crossed the line first. Gilligan paid tribute to O'Sullivan after the race saying: "I think we all know there is someone very special looking down on this, especially with Marine Nationale earlier and now this. Someone very special is looking down at us today.' Earlier, the first race of the day, the Turners' Novices Hurdle, was won by The New Lion – a candidate for the best horse Dan Skelton has trained. After the race, Skelton said: 'I just trusted him the whole way around, I knew he'd win. It's unchartered territory. We've had superstars, but we've not had one like this.' Winning jockey and Skelton's brother, Harry, added: 'He's got it all. You hope one day in your life, in your career, you can come across a good one, and he's a good one. He's good.' Hot favourite Ballyburn was woefully ineffective in the Brown Advisory Chase and never competed as Lecky Watson, a 20/1 shout, drove to victory thanks to a successful charge in front of the grandstand. Rachael Blackmore 's Ballyadam almost pulled off a shock victory in the Coral Cup only to be beaten up the final straight by Jimmy Du Seuil who was another wild winner at 16/1. Stumptown's triumph in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase was far from an upset with Gavin Cromwell's charge the 5/2 favourite but the manner of his victory was eye-opening while Paul Townend 's sister, Josephine, claimed victory in the Champion Bumper with Bambino Fever. Yet, the day belonged to two horses and one special jockey.
