Connell prepared for ‘highly charged’ return to Cheltenham

Barry Connell is predicting an emotionally charged few days, as Marine Nationale and William Munny attempt to honour the memory of the late Michael O’Sullivan at the Cheltenham Festival.

O’Sullivan suffered a fall at Thurles last month and after spending 10 days in intensive care at Cork University Hospital, it was announced he had died from his injuries at just 24 years of age

He will always be inextricably linked with both Connell and his stable star Marine Nationale, having enjoyed his finest hour aboard the horse when winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2023, a ride that received plenty of plaudits and gave a glimpse of the young jockey’s talent in the saddle.

The Supreme will this time be run in O’Sullivan’s name, with William Munny set to sport Connell’s yellow silks and dark blue sash in the Festival opener and the County Kildare handler admits it will be a different feel to usual at this year’s Festival.

“It’s been raw for the last few weeks since Michael had the incident in Thurles then sadly passed away and he had been a huge part of our operation for a couple of years,” said Connell.

“He was a 7lb-claiming amateur when he joined us and left having ridden three Grade One winners. He turned professional with us, was champion conditional and leading rider after the first day of the Cheltenham Festival – and the two of us went on an amazing journey together with Marine and Good Land.

“It’s been a massive shock and tragic and it has hit everybody. Going to Cheltenham with the Supreme being named after him and Marine also running in the Champion Chase, it’s going to be very emotional.

“At the best of times, Cheltenham is always an emotional place, but it’s going to be highly charged and I imagine it will be something like the year Jack de Bromhead died and Honeysuckle ran.

“The racing community is a small parish and everyone knows each other and the support network that has been there for the family has been fantastic. I think most of the family are going over and hopefully they can take further comfort from that – and I know they are pleased the Supreme will be run in Michael’s honour.

“We’re going there and we know it’s going to be emotional, but hopefully we will fly the flag.”

Marine Nationale will be returning to Prestbury Park for the first time since that memorable opening day of the 2023 Festival and Connell is hoping a trip back to the Cotswolds is a huge positive for his Queen Mother Champion Chase contender.

Second to Solness in Grade One events in Ireland the last twice, he is the general second-favourite to Jonbon in the Champion Chase betting, with his trainer feeling we are still to see the best of the eight-year-old over the larger obstacles.

Connell said: “Marine Nationale is a course winner on the Old course over hurdles and that is a big plus, we know he handles the place. The ground looks like it’s going to be dry, which is a big help, and his temperament is bombproof.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him over fences yet and what you have to remember is he only had two runs in our novice chasing season last year. Basically, we were coming into this season playing catch-up and he’s still only had five runs over fences, so you could say he’s still a bit of a novice, albeit a second-season novice.

“Solness, who has beaten him the last twice, has had 17 runs over fences and Marine Nationale’s profile is that he improves as the season goes on.

“If you go back and look at his runs over hurdles, he won an ordinary novice hurdle at Punchestown but then took a massive step up in the Royal Bond and then improved again to win the Supreme – and hopefully it will be the same again.”

Connell could also field Nine Graces in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase, while he has high hopes William Munny is getting the hang of hurdling at the right time to prove a fitting contender in the Festival curtain-raiser run in his former stable jockey’s name.

“He’s by Westerner and they just tend to be a bit keen, but he has an awful amount of talent,” Connell said of William Munny.

“He won his first two bumpers and then was third in the Champion Bumper at Punchestown, but again he was way too keen and the same thing happened in his first two runs over hurdles this year.

“He was just running with the choke out and not listening to the jockey and he wasn’t jumping properly and made plenty of mistakes as a result.

“The third time at Punchestown, in the Listed race, we dropped him in and he didn’t settle fully, but he was definitely more settled and it was the first time he put in a full round of jumping and he bolted up.

“I think he has the ability to be right there at the last and in contention – and after that, the best horse will win. I definitely think he will be a contender.”