#Marine Nationale

Willie Mullins and Paul Townend after Impaire Et Passe won on his hurdling debut at Naas in December Impaire Et Passe was cut for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle over 2m and the longer Ballymore Novices' Hurdle over 2m5f after impressing at Punchestown. Which race at the festival do our experts favour? If he were mine it would be the Supreme…

A Willie Mullins-trained horse is attracting Cheltenham Festival support ahead of his second run over hurdles at Punchestown this weekend. Impaire Et Passe bolted up by 18 lengths when winning at Naas on his debut for the Mullins team last month and runs in the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle on Sunday, a race the Carlow trainer has previously won with…

Okay, it wouldn't be quite as dramatic as Lester Piggott at the 1990 Breeders' Cup. "I have decided to come out of retirement and ride for the short period while Jack [Kennedy] is on the sidelines," Russell said in his statement. But, with Kennedy breaking his leg for a fifth time at Naas on Sunday, the Cheltenham Festival, just two months away,…

Not without late support but sent off at 100/30 as the Willie Mullins second-string behind stablemate Grangeclare West, Champ Kiely set off in front and barely saw another rival en route to winning Sunday's two and a half-mile feature. The seven-year-old son of Ocavango, who disappointed when only fourth as the odds-on jolly in the Royal Bond over…

2m4f Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Beginners Chase (5yo+) Instit - 1pt Win - 2/1 (General) singleSelection My first two selections today come in the opening race at Naas. Willie Mullins was quite open ahead of Instit's seasonal reappearance that she would come on for the run and they would find a more suitable race for her over the Christmas/New…

Our presenter and Sunday regular Angus McNae put up four winners from five tips last week - including 8-1 Hector Javilex and 11-2 Marie's Rock - and bids t continue his fine start to 2023 with four more tips from Naas. Enjoy an excellent Grade One card live on Racing TV. Four winners and a second last week made it a really good start to the New…

The last seven favourites have been successful in this Grade 1, including Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger who went on to win the Ballymore, and Grangeclare West will be the one trying to continue that sequence. Willie Mullins has won this race eight times and had the option of running Boodles runner-up Gaelic Warrior, who won at Tramore by 86 lengths…

Tahmuras gave Paul Nicholls a fifth Unibet Tolworth Novices' Hurdle in sauntering to an easy success at Sandown. A stylish winner of a Listed contest at Haydock on his previous run, Harry Cobden's mount travelled supremely well throughout in the two-mile contest, and was content to allow Colonel Harry to make the running under Gavin Sheehan. Though…

The Naas Novice Hurdle (14:20) on Sunday is available as a free Race Pass, which means logged-in customers can view all our premium comments and ratings. There are several promising types among the nine runners declared for the Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle (14:20) which has been won by Gordon Elliott in four of the last six years. The…

Jet Powered was beaten at prohibitive odds at Newbury - but there appeared to be no fluke about the 66-1 success of Gary Moore's Jupiter Du Gite. Nicky Henderson's Jet Powered was sent off the 2-7 favourite having been hugely impressive on his first outing and was prominent in the ante-post betting for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Everything…

The exciting Jet Powered lost his unbeaten record in the Coral Racing Club Join For Free'Introductory' Hurdle at Newbury as Jupiter Du Gite recorded a wide margin success at 66/1. Sent off at a prohibitive price, Jet Powered tracked Jupiter Du Gite through the early stages with the field well strung out at halfway. The field closed a little on the…

Hermes Allen was a very easy winner of the Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury, to give Paul Nicholls a third successive victory in the Grade One feature. Following on from Bravemansgame and Stage Star, Hermes Allen had to prove he could handle deep ground on this occasion. On paper at least, this year's renewal looked as strong as any in…

Jet Powered, second in the ante-post lists for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle in March, continues his education at Newbury on Saturday. Nicky Henderson is keen not to ask too many questions too early of the Joe Donnelly-owned five-year-old, who was a very impressive 11-length winner on his hurdling debut at Newbury in November. He faces 10…

State Man continued his march towards a likely clash with Constitution Hill at the Cheltenham Festival in March with a comprehensive victory in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown. Nicky Henderson's Constitution Hill is long odds-on to lift the Champion Hurdle crown in March following his latest demolition job in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on…

Shewearsitwell provided Willie Mullins with a sixth victory in the last seven runnings of the BeattheBank.ie Irish EBF Mares Hurdle at Leopardstown. Two subsequent Cheltenham Festival heroines in Let's Dance and Concertista are among the champion trainer's recent winners of the Grade Three contest and Shewearsitwell was actually sent off favourite…

They say that no success or defeat is necessarily final, but Honeysuckle needed to send a message to the precocious young pretender on her traditional Fairyhouse reappearance, and for the first time in her glorious career she was found wanting. Bidding for what would have been a historic fourth Bar One Hatton's Grace Hurdle, she led two out and…

A scroll through Twitter on the evening of December 26 in recent years has tended to reveal Paul Nicholls celebrating King George success with a McDonald's on the way back from Kempton. The Ditcheat maestro, who is seeking a record-extending 13th win in the race, could well be lovin' it again on Monday with Bravemansgame and Hitman among the main…

STOLEN SILVER still looked to have running in him when unseating at the third last in the Paddy Power Gold Cup last month and is given another chance as he still looks on a decent mark based on his Silver Trophy win here in the spring. Il Ridoto shaped well in fourth in the Paddy Power and Paul Nicholls has a good record in this race so he's an…

A dual bumper winner before making a successful debut over hurdles at Punchestown in October, the five-year-old extended his unbeaten record to four with a battling victory at Fairyhouse on Sunday - providing Connell with a first Grade One success taking out his training licence two years ago. Connell has enjoyed Cheltenham glory in the past, both…

Barry Connell's yellow colours are not new, they will be very familiar to most of you. What is new is the trainer the leading owner is using of late. Himself. It takes a lot of time, energy, motivation and money to go out on your own these days, but it will have been worth every cent and bead of sweat as he watched Marine Nationale surge late to…

If it is to be the beginning of the end for Honeysuckle, Sunday was a day to remember for hugely promising rider Michael O'Sullivan, who showed calmness beyond his years to get Marine Nationale home in front and claim a first Grade One win in the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle - typically one of the most informative novice events in…

Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have won the last eight runnings of the Royal Bond between them. Incidentally, the last trainer other than them to get in on the act was Philip Fenton in 2013 with The Tullow Tank, owned by none other than Barry Connell. Nine years later and Connell is trying to win the race as a trainer with the unbeaten and…

Fascinating insight from Barry Connell on Marine Nationale ahead of the Fairyhouse Winter Festival Owner-trainer Barry Connell is optimistic Marine Nationale can see off the powerful team of Willie Mullins in the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday. The champion trainer has saddled a record nine previous winners of the…

Honeysuckle: heads a quality field as she bids for a fourth consecutive Hatton's Grace Hurdle Honeysuckle will face seven opponents when she bids to eclipse Limestone Lad, Apple's Jade and Solerina to become the first four-time winner of the Bar One Racing Hatton's Grace Hurdle (2.30) at Fairyhouse on Sunday. Henry de Bromhead's star mare will make…

Galvin, Conflated and Fil Dor are among the big names set to be in action for Gordon Elliott over the festive period as the Cullentra handler shuffles his pack for Leopardstown's Christmas Festival. Elliott has enjoyed huge success at the four-day meeting in recent years, with Galvin's thrilling Savills Chase victory over A Plus Tard a clear…

Galvin repeated last season's success in the Irish Daily Star - Best For Racing Coverage Chase with ease at Punchestown. Having conceded 8lb to take the Grade Three prize last season, Gordon Elliott's crack staying chaser made light work of his four rivals under a 12lb and more disadvantage this time. Having stalked the decent pace set by…