Cheltenham Festival horses from Irish trainers outside the big three
Marine Nationale (Barry Connell)
Barry Connell has never tried to conceal the magnitude of the regard in which he holds Marine Nationale. Winner of his two bumpers during the summer, the French Navy gelding was impressive in winning his maiden hurdle at Punchestown in October, and he stepped forward from that to win the Grade 1 Royal Bond Hurdle at Fairyhouse last time.
He did well to win that day. The ground was softer than ideal for him, and he was shuffled back in the race just as the pace was starting to increase. As well as that, he made a significant mistake at the final flight, yet he still had the strength and the pace to battle back and get up to beat Irish Point by a head, with subsequent Grade 3 winner Ashroe Diamond and subsequent Grade 1 winner Champ Kiely behind in third and fourth places respectively.
Marine Nationale hasn’t run since, but that was always the plan. He goes to Cheltenham a fresh horse, he should be well suited by the better ground that he should encounter at Cheltenham and by the faster pace that they should go, and Barry Connell’s horses have been in tremendous form all season.
Banbridge (Joseph O’Brien)
Banbridge was a progressive novice hurdler last season, and he put up his best performance of the season at the Cheltenham Festival last year, when he won the Martin Pipe Hurdle.
Joseph O’Brien’s horse looked very good in winning his beginners’ chase at Gowran Park on his chasing bow in November, the chasing debutant’s jumping was fluent and accurate, and he stepped forward from that when he won the Grade 2 Arkle Trial next time at Cheltenham’s November meeting.
He was well beaten by Mighty Potter in the Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse in December, but the ground was softer than ideal for him that day. On better ground at Leopardstown last time, he stayed on well at the end of the extended two-mile trip in the Irish Arkle to take second place behind El Fabiolo, just getting up to beat Appreciate It and Dysart Dyanmo for the runner-up spot, with subsequent Red Mills Trial Hurdle winner Fil Dor behind in fourth.
The step back up to almost two and a half miles for the Turners Chase should suit him well. His fluent and accurate jumping will be a significant asset to take into the race, and he is two for two at Cheltenham.
Byker (Charles Byrnes)
Winner of his fifth and latest race on the flat for Richard Hannon, after which he was awarded a flat rating of 76, Byker shaped encouragingly on his first run over hurdles for Charles Byrnes at Limerick’s Christmas meeting.
He was impressive in winning his maiden hurdle at Naas next time, hitting the front between the final two flights and keeping on well to win nicely from Mighty Mo Missouri, who was only just beaten in another maiden at Gowran Park next time, and Gordons Aura, who won his maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse on his next run.
Byker did well last time too to finish a close-up third behind Sir Allen in a rated novices’ hurdle back at Naas. He just got a little out-paced when they quickened at the second last flight before keeping on well to go down by less than two lengths to Sir Allen. That Naas race has produced three of the last four Fred Winter Hurdle winners.
The Le Havre gelding has been given an Irish handicap mark of 124, which is fair, and he has the potential to go beyond the British mark of 128 off which he will race in the Fred Winter Hurdle.
A Dream To Share (John Kiely)
A Dream To Share goes to Cheltenham unbeaten. He was seriously impressive in winning a bumper at Tipperary last May on his racecourse debut, and he followed up at Roscommon the following month, perhaps not as impressively, but he was still well on top at the end.
Given a nice break after that by his trainer, he returned in the Grade 2 bumper at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival last month, and he was impressive again in completing the hat-trick. He made nice progress wide around the home turn that day to join the leaders, he travelled best of all past the two-furlong marker, and he quickened up smartly to come almost three lengths clear of Fact To File, who had won his only point-to-point and his only bumper before then.
That Leopardstown bumper is usually a really good pointer to the future in general and to the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in particular. Of the previous four winners, two of them – Facile Vega and Envoi Allen – won the Champion Bumper, while the other two – Appreciate It and Kilcruit – finished second at Cheltenham. A half-brother to talented flat horse Raise You, John Kiely’s horse could further enhance that record this year.
HMS Seahorse (Paul Nolan)
HMS Seahorse put up a good performance to finish fourth in the Fred Winter Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, and he followed up by finishing third behind Vauban and Fil Dor – and just in front of Il Etait Temps – in the Grade 1 four-year-olds’ hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
Winner of the valuable Ragusa Handicap at The Curragh on Irish Derby weekend, after which he was awarded a flat rating of 99, Paul Nolan’s horse didn’t make his debut this National Hunt season until January, when he looked good in winning a handicap hurdle at Navan off a mark of 132.
The Irish handicapper raised him by 7lb for that win to a mark of 139, and the British handicapper has added 4lb, but he is only five and he has run just seven times over hurdles, so he has the potential to improve again now. Also, that run at Navan in January was his first run since September, and it was his first run since he had been gelded, so there is every chance that he will progress from it. We know that he can operate at Cheltenham, under Cheltenham Festival conditions, and he could run a big race in the Coral Cup.
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