Barry Connell had fulfilled a lifelong ambition but his only thought was to talk about the young man whose life had been taken too soon.
Marine Nationale is owned and trained by Connell. He adores this gelding, he has known that he was something special from the minute he sashayed into his custom-built yard and he was convinced that a clear round of jumping would be enough for him to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Connell has wanted to win the Champion Chase since he started taking pilgrimages to jump racing’s Mecca in the 1980s but his desire to win this latest renewal took on a new dimension in the last month after the death of Michael O’Sullivan, a rider he instantly knew was something special, too.
There was a stage when, in Connell’s words to Mail Sport on Wednesday, he and O’Sullivan had ‘floated along on a magical journey’; though their professional relationship ended, with Sean Flanagan handed the ride, the depth of personal respect and affection never altered.
So here was Connell, visibly moved, trying to take in this remarkable situation. Marine Nationale had handsomely delivered in the feature event of the day and, a couple of feet away, he got appreciative rubs on his nose from O’Sullivan’s girlfriend, Charlotte Giles.
But all the while, your mind was drawn to the man who was missing. O’Sullivan would not have been riding Marine Nationale but his soft hands and sharp mind were crucial in honing the Ferrari engine inside this beautiful bay frame.
Marine Nationale won the Queen Mother Champions steeple chase at Cheltenham Festival
Marine Nationale is owned and trained by Barry Connell. He has wanted to win the Champion Chase since he started taking pilgrimages to jump racing’s Mecca in the 1980s
Michael O’Sullivan (middle left) tragically died last month after a fall at Thurles in Ireland, aged just 24, and your mind was drawn to the man who was missing after Marine Nationale’s win
‘It won’t sink in for a long time,’ said Connell. ‘The obvious thing is how poignant it has been over these last three or four weeks. It has been horrendous, really. Michael started as a seven-pound claimer with us and I asked him to become a professional. It’s a tragedy that he has left us.’
Flanagan continued the theme, saying: ‘I suppose there was a certain amount of pressure with him because of everything involved with him.
‘I spoke to Michael plenty about him before I started riding him. The horse is what he is today because Michael made him. It is very emotional.
‘Charlotte is an inspiration, and she is here. She has been so tough and all the family have. He has gone and done it well and he is trying to make him proud. I was at the point where you either fall off the edge or stumble across something like Marine Nationale.’
Flanagan now knows the buzz O’Sullivan got, and Connell added: ‘I would like to dedicate this to Michael and Charlotte. Our hearts go out to his family and his friends — racing has a great community that will get behind them when things like this happen. Hopefully this is a fitting end.’
It was not the end. When O’Sullivan rode Marine Nationale to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in March 2023, the headlines were taken by the champion mare Honeysuckle and trainer Henry de Bromhead, whose son, Jack, had been killed in a pony racing accident six months earlier.
Honeysuckle’s victory on her last career start seemed to have been written in the stars for De Bromhead, to provide a shred of comfort, and the poignancy of the day was enhanced by a rainbow appearing as Rachael Blackmore and her mount returned to the winner’s enclosure.
Again, it felt like higher forces had a helping hand in this scenario; 40 minutes after Marine Nationale had run right away from Jonbon, whose Cheltenham jinx continued, Jazzy Matty — O’Sullivan’s other winner two years ago — took the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase.
Charlotte Giles, the girlfriend of late O’Sullivan, met Queen Camilla at Cheltenham on day two
This alignment would not have happened in any other sport and the only other venue you might have seen such an incredible story was Aintree. But this is Cheltenham, the place where magic happens, and O’Sullivan’s old mounts were doing their bit to keep him in our minds.
‘It’s unbelievable,’ said trainer Cian Collins, saddling his first Festival success. ‘We were very hopeful coming here, but it’s Cheltenham and we needed a lot of luck on our side. We had that. I said that that — Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty winning — doesn’t happen often.’
Everyone agreed. The day may have started with the highest quality finish of the meeting so far, with The New Lion scorching away from The Yellow Clay and Final Demand, while Stumptown — the doughty winner of the Cross Country Chase — looked like a Grand National contender.
But everything revolved around that golden hour when racing, to so many, had never been more important. Danny Gilligan, Jazzy Matty’s rider, summed it up best.
‘It went very smooth, never missed a beat the whole way round,’ he said. ‘I’m sure everyone knows there’s someone special looking down on us. That’s for Michael.’
