‘It’s a big blow’: defending Champion Chase hero withdrawn from 2026 Cheltenham Festival

The 2025 Champion Chase hero Marine Nationale will not defend his title at next week’s Cheltenham Festival (10-13 March).

Barry Connell, who owns and trains the nine-year-old gelding, told the Nick Luck Daily podcast today (3 March) he suspects that Marine Nationale may have got cast in his box.

“We went into his stable this morning and the horse was very sore through his neck and just down in the dumps,” he said.

He added that the issue is “nothing too serious” and that the vet has been to see the horse and given him pain relief medication, but the timing means that he will miss next week’s BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (11 March).

“We’ve had a clear run with him right through his career. He’s incredibly sound and has hardly ever missed a day, either through lameness or sickness. It’s a big blow, but we’ll hopefully have him back for Punchestown [in April] and for next year. He has very little mileage on the clock.”

Marine Nationale: ‘One in 10,000 lifetimes’

H&H’s Martha Terry visited Mr Connell’s yard in Co Kildare last month, when Marine Nationale was in work.

“Marine is a special animal, not just one in a lifetime, he’s one in 10,000 lifetimes and we’re just lucky he landed in our yard,” said Mr Connell at the time.

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