Marine Nationale: Profile, Record, Age & Best Races

Having missed the last Cheltenham Festival due to a suspensory strain, Marine Nationale will be hoping to make a winning return to Prestbury Park in 2025.

Barry Connell's stable star was an impressive winner of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the 2023 Festival, while this time around he is being aimed at the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Name: Marine Nationale

Age: 8

Weight: 11-12

Trainer: Barry Connell

Winnings: £288,204

Cheltenham Festival wins: 1

Marine Nationale race stats

Runs	1st	2nd	3rd
10	6	1	1

Marine Nationale Age

Marine Nationale is an eight-year-old gelding with plenty of years ahead of him.

Winning six of his seven starts under Rules, Marine National enjoyed a bright start to his career.

Marine Nationale Weight

Marine Nationale carried a weight of 11-12 in his last race at Leopardstown and is expected to be the same again for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

Marine Nationale Record

Marine Nationale enjoyed a fantastic start to his career, winning six of his seven starts under Rules.

He won bumpers at Punchestown and Killarney in the summer of 2022 and was back at the former venue in October that year to make a winning start over timber.

The Royal Bond at Fairyhouse (2m, soft) saw a winning rise into Grade 1 company, with the smart Irish Point in second for Gordon Elliott, before Facile Vega was condemned to second in the Supreme at Cheltenham under a cool ride from O'Sullivan.

The pair made the ideal start over fences at Leopardstown in December 2023, landing a 2m1f beginners' contest in pleasing style and were hot favourites for the Irish Arkle back there in February.

Things went awry with a mistake at the last proving the damning moment as Marine Nationale faded into fifth behind Il Etait Temps and, thus, lost his perfect record.

Since then Marine Nationale is yet to taste victory, finishing second at Naas in November 2024, before a second place at Leopardstown the following month.

Marine Nationale’s last race was on 2nd February in which he finished second at Leopardstown in the Dublin Chase.

Marine Nationale Next Race

Marine Nationale has an entry for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

Marine Nationale Owner and Cost

Marine Nationale is owned and trained by Barry Connell.

The Dubliner says he was introduced to the sport by his father 'as soon as I could walk or talk' and that racing became a lifelong infatuation when the former stockbroker bought his first horse in his late 20s.

Connell has enjoyed plenty of success as first a rider and now as a trainer.

He rode two winners at Cheltenham's November meeting, one in 2003 and another in 2008. Incredibly, Connell did not start race riding until he was well into his 30s.

He told the Irish Times of those days riding against the likes of AP McCoy and Richard Johnson: "It was like a soccer fan being able to go into the dressing room at Old Trafford and then walk out on the pitch and play."

Marine Nationale Trainer

Connell saw his yellow and blue silks succeed on the biggest stages for other trainers. Martello Tower won the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March 2015, trained by Mags Mullins and ridden by Adrian Heskin, under Connell's ownership.

In 2023, he went to the Cotswolds dreaming of training a Festival winner for the first time under his own steam and he didn't have to wait long.

Marine Nationale stormed up the Cheltenham hill to thwart Facile Vega for Willie Mullins and win the Supreme.

His other main contender, Good Land, who like his stablemate was ridden by Mikey O'Sullivan, was a fine fourth in the Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle behind Impaire Et Passe.

Marine Nationale Official Rating

Marine Nationale has an official rating of 153 following his latest second-place finish at Leopardstown.

Marine Nationale Prize Money

Marine Nationale has already racked up £288,204 in prize money.

Marine Nationale News

Connell says he’s hopeful Marine Nationale will be "perfect" for the Queen Mother Champion Chase as he looks to topple pre-race favourite Jonbon.

Following those last two races at Leopardstown, Connell believes they will stand Marine Nationale in good stead ahead of Cheltenham.

"I think we've every right to come forward again experience-wise and maybe we'll get a bit of drier spring ground," Connell said.

"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."