Marine Nationale can bounce back to end difficult season on a high at Punchestown

Marine Nationale only made it to the track twice this season before a setback denied a chance to run at Cheltenham

Tue, 28 Apr, 2026 - 06:11

Darren Norris

Marine Nationale can end a frustrating season on a high note by winning the Grade One William Hill Champion Chase, the feature race on day one of the Punchestown Festival.

When Barry Connell’s charge won this race last year, it was the icing on the cake of a brilliant campaign that culminated in an emotional success in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

However, things haven’t gone to script this season with Marine Nationale only making it to the track twice before a late setback denied him the chance to defend his Cheltenham crown.

On the first of those runs, at Leopardstown at Christmas, a howler of an error at the second fence put him on the backfoot and he ran a massive race to finish second, going down by only half a length to Solness.

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There was no such hard luck story on his return to Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival when Majborough produced one of the standout performances of the entire jumps season to thrash Marine Nationale by 19 lengths.

In defence of Marine Nationale, that was on ground he hated at a venue where he has recorded five of his six career defeats.

In contrast, the nine-year-old is unbeaten in three trips to Punchestown and ground conditions will be far more to his liking than was the case at Leopardstown.

Being forced to miss Cheltenham was disappointing for Connell but the upside to that is he was spared a hard race there and that freshness angle ought to aid his cause here.

Majborough will obviously be a tough nut to crack if he reproduces the swaggering brilliance he showed at the DRF but his jumping went to pieces at Cheltenham and it’s hard to be confident that it won’t do so again when pressure is applied. He may also be better on softer ground.

Il Etait Temps was the chief beneficiary of Majborough’s meltdown at Cheltenham, adding the Champion Chase to an increasingly impressive CV. The consistent eight-year-old looks sure to run another big race but may have to settle for minor honours this time.

The day one nap comes in the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase where Kitzbuhel is a strong fancy to crown a fine season in style by claiming a third Grade One success of the season.

An impressive winner of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton at Christmas, the Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old fluffed his lines when falling in the Scilly Isles at Sandown before bouncing back to win the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase where he showed a great attitude to fend off stablemate Final Demand.

This looks a simpler task and, providing he’s over his Cheltenham exertions, he should be hard to pass.

By his own admission, this week is unlikely to end with Gordon Elliott being crowned champion trainer for the first time but El Cairos can do his bit to keep his dream alive a bit longer by winning the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle, the first of the day’s three Grade Ones.

The speedy six-year-old finished best of the Irish when fifth to Old Park Star in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and this looks a good opportunity for him to bag a first top-level success.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Le Labo, who got the better of Blake in a Grade Three at Naas last time out, could be the horse who gives the selection most to think about.

Elliott can also strike in the opening race of the week, the Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup, where Willitgoahead gets the vote ahead of Fountain House.

The Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle looks fiendishly tricky but two worthy of shortlist consideration are the Jessica Harrington-trained Powerful and the Philip Dempsey-trained Matt Connor.

PUNCHESTOWN

2.30 Willitgoahead

3.05 Powerful

3.40 Jet To Monte Carlo

4.15 El Cairos (NB)

4.50 Kitzbuhel (Nap)

5.25 Altesse Du Luy

6.05 Marine Nationale

6.35 Delamotte

Next best

2.30 Fountain House

3.05 Matt Connor