'Our target is to win three Champion Chases' - Marine Nationale completes the double as Fact To File flops

On a slightly madcap day defined by an array of predictably unpredictable Punchestown festival results, the recently crowned Champion Chase winner reaffirming his newfound superiority in the two-mile division constituted a result for punters. 

Marine Nationale returned the 2-1 second favourite in posting another polished performance to fend off last year's Queen Mother victor Captain Guinness by a fairly emphatic seven lengths. On the surface, it's all satisfyingly cogent, but there was a dollop of drama along the way.

Fact To File, so utterly dominant over the intermediate trip in the Ryanair Chase, was sent off the 11-10 favourite but had his limitations exposed rather unceremoniously. Mark Walsh was always niggling, his mount simply out on his head from the get-go.

Inside him towards the rear was a much happier Sean Flanagan, and all the while around the outside Fact To File's Willie Mullins-trained stablemate El Fabiolo travelled ominously well in his ungainly way for Paul Townend. As is his wont, though, he brought a few fences with him as he went. Once again, he tried to take one too many. 

He, long-time leader Solness, the strong-travelling Captain Guinness and Marine Nationale took the second last together. It was turning into a proper spectacle and El Fabiolo's toes left the ground first, but they touched back down last because he ploughed through it and turned upside down. It was his third fall in four starts and it's starting to look like he might never learn.

With him gone, Marine Nationale promptly asserted his authority. He benefited from Quilixios's last fence departure before going on to score by 18 lengths at Cheltenham and he capitalised similarly here. 

Captain Guinness didn't find as much for pressure and Flanagan had a length's lead and a double handful as they crossed the final fence, which Marine Nationale pinged. 

He had been a tad less than fluent at a couple of early fences but he was good when his rider needed him. In seeing off Captain Guinness and Solness, who was four and a quarter lengths further back in third, with Fact To File finishing in his own time, Marine Nationale became the fifth horse this century to do the Champion Chase double at Cheltenham and Punchestown. 

He is a proper two-mile chaser. Barry Connell has never been afraid to say as much and he didn't miss the chance to again speak of emulating Badsworth Boy, who won three Queen Mothers in the mid-1980s. 

Barry Connell celebrates with Marine Nationale and Sean FlanaganCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"I tried to be a bit understated and just lay out the facts and people can make their own minds up," he said afterwards. "I said we were the champion chaser, we missed a lot of our novice season last year so it was a slow build and I thought the horse had improved every run and improved again from Cheltenham. We were proved right, he won doing a half speed. 

"I think this horse has all the attributes to be a multiple Champion Chase winner. Our target is to win three and equal Badsworth Boy. He is only eight. That is his 12th run – he has no mileage on the clock. He can go back next year at nine, and ten. He grows an extra leg at Cheltenham. We are going to mind him and you’ll see him back there next year and he won’t be 10-1 like he was this morning."

Marine Nationale has revitalised the autumn of Flanagan's career. His win in this €300,000 affair was just his second Grade 1 at this festival and he relished it. 

"What a horse," beamed the 36-year-old, who moonlights as a valet and a pilot. "He doesn’t get half the credit he deserves but he is starting to maybe not need it. He does the talking himself. It’s fantastic, I couldn’t have gotten an easier passage all the way around. He landed in the middle of a ditch but he was very quick. He is such an unbelievable horse." 

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