Marine Nationale (5-1), who was ridden to success two years ago at The Festival in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, landed today’s feature Grade One BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase.

With 5-6 Favourite Jonbon effectively ending his chances with a bad mistake at the ninth fence, the race developed into a duel between Marine Nationale and Quilixos. With the latter falling at the last, it was Marine Nationale who was left clear to home 18 lengths to the good over Jonbon, who made some late progress.

Barry Connell – 2 Festival wins (4 in total as an owner)
Sean Flanagan – 2 Festival wins

Barry Connell said: “I think the horse hasn’t got his credit since he won the Supreme Novices’, and people forget that he only had two runs last year so he’s effectively a novice this year, and we were having to plan a campaign to gradually get him his experience.

“He started in Naas in a Grade 2, and progressed with two good runs at Leopardstown - he was coming all the time. If you go back and look at his career, three runs - won an ordinary maiden hurdle, then improved a stone to win the Royal Bond, improved another stone to win here. He loves this place and comes alive here. We were very confident coming today but understated, because I was too confident the last day and didn’t want to do that again. He travels, he jumps - he’s everything you want in a Champion Chaser.

“I’ve been coming racing here since the 1980s, since I was a student, and it’s the one race I always wanted to win, because it’s pure, unadulterated, on-the-edge speed; the horses finish quickly, they don’t finish tired like in teh Gold Cup. It won’t sink in for a long time. The obvious thing is how poignant and how raw the whole thing has been over teh past three or four weeks - that’s been horrendous.

“Michael and I went on a journey with this horse; he rode him in all his races in his novice season over hurdles. He started as a 7lb claimer with us and we asked him to turn pro. He ended winning three Grade Ones as a claimer, leading rider on the first day, and then leading conditional. I’ve asked racing historians and I don’t think they can find anyone who did all that. It is a tragedy that he’s left us, but its a record that he can be really proud of. He’s achieved more in a lifetime than a lot of riders who have been riding a lot longer can ever achieve. So I’d like to dedicate this win to Michael and his girlfriend Charlotte, who’s here. Our hearts go out to all his friends and family and girlfriend.

“Racing is a great community behind people when things like this happen.”

Winning rider Sean Flanagan said: “It’s hugely emotional for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, his (Michael O’Sullivan’s) family obviously have to find it very hard. All the jockeys in Ireland, the UK and in the world have been under a cloud for the last couple of weeks.

“I’m only the man that steered him round today, Michael is the man who made him what he is. He will never be forgotten for that.”

He added: “[As jockeys] its every race, race by race, we ride – made a hash of the last race and I’m just lucky I can get on the likes of this lad and he really comes alive when he comes here. It’s credit to all the people back at Barry’s. I’m only drafted in very late to steer him round, the work is already done.”

The rider added: “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 today, and 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.

“JJ (Slevin’s) lad (Solness) got revved up and ran up the tape, but it is the Champion Chase and everyone wants to be in a prime position.

“I got in a little pocket down the rail and he jumped a little bit right all the way, but to me I had a clear passage and a clear round.

“I was anxious down the hill that I was probably getting there too soon. Qulixios was carrying me well into the race, but I was always half waiting for Jonbon.

“I still haven’t seen a replay so I don’t know what happened or where he went, but I’ve got away and done it really well.

“I did (feel I had got the better of Quilixios when he fell at the last). I was using him as a target more than anything up the straight.

“I don’t know how much he was going to pull out, but Quilixios had beaten Marine Nationale on his first run of the season back home.

“I was kind of confident I had plenty of horse the whole way round. I got such a clear passage all the way through and I knew it was going to be something smart that was going to have to come past me.

“Michael maintained that the Supreme might have taken a bit more out of him than they anticipated and he had a kind of a stiff enough campaign that season.

“It flattened him for his first couple of runs the next season and then he got a bit of a knock. He only had two runs in his novice chase season and this is only the 11th run of his career so he is very lightly raced, but he is obviously very smart.

“The lads in the yard have done a fantastic job. From his Christmas run to his Dublin Festival run he stepped forward massively and he has done it again so Punchestown could be interesting.

“This is phenomenal. I had a good job and I rode plenty of nice winners on good horses, but that was gone and I was at the point where you either fall off the edge or stumble across something like Marine Nationale.

“It is one horse you are looking for and funnily enough he was stabled in the same stable as Jeff Kidder was in. This is everything to me.

“Me and my wife have a young family and I never get to spend anytime with them, but seeing daddy doing this will mean it is all worthwhile.”

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Jonbon, said: “I’ve not seen a thing. I watched it live. I know Nico was saying he just got a fright from the tape at the start and that put him on the backfoot before it started.

“He missed his kick at the start and he was then not where he wanted to be.

“Nico was saying the start was all contributory. They were right on the tape and it went straight across his face.

“The next thing was he was chasing them and you know how he likes to be up there ramming it, but there we go. However, he has flown home.

"Of course, this is hard, but we have learnt to live with it after all these years."

Nico de Boinville said: “We were stood up against the tape and the tape pinged back and went under his nose. It just startled him for a moment then you are on the back foot and they have gone hard.

“I would say there was a stride there (at five out), but I think he might have lost his sight slightly and he decided to chip in and didn’t think it was there.

“Then you are just trying to do what you can. He is some horse to manage to finish where he did.”

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of the third (and 2024 winner Captain Guinness plus Quilixios, said: “I was delighted with Captain Guinness. He has run an absolute blinder. He is such a warrior and it was brilliant to see.

“He has had a disappointing season, but it was brilliant seeing him coming back to himself there.

“Who knows what would have happened if Quilixios hadn't fallen. He was running a cracker and he jumped brilliantly until then, but unfortunately that is the way it goes sometimes.

“We will see what we do with him, but he could go to Punchestown.”