Marine Nationale and The Jukebox Man on track for Punchestown

Cheltenham absentee Marine Nationale could join the likes of Gaelic Warrior, Lossiemouth and Il Etait Temps as one of the stars of the Punchestown Festival next month.

Entries for the 12 Grade One prizes up for grabs at Ireland’s end-of-season showpiece meeting were unveiled on Monday and equine aces from both sides of the Irish Sea are in the mix.

The big race on day one of the meeting is the William Hill Champion Chase, which last year saw Marine Nationale supplement his victory in the Queen Mother at Cheltenham the previous month.

Barry Connell’s stable star was unable to defend his Prestbury Park crown after suffering a setback, but he is firmly on course to return to action in County Kildare on April 28.

Connell told the Press Association on Monday: “It was just unfortunate timing with him before Cheltenham, he’s fine now. He had an away-day at Fairyhouse after the Festival and did a nice piece of work, so he’s on track.

“If you were take a positive out of missing Cheltenham I suppose it’s that he goes to Punchestown fresh. He runs well fresh and has won after big breaks before, so it’s not going to be an issue.”

The biggest threat to Marine Nationale appears to be the Willie Mullins-trained Queen Mother Champion Chase hero Il Etait Temps and Connell is relishing the clash.

He added: “I think we beat him (Il Etait Temps) by nine lengths in the Supreme (Novices’ Hurdle, 2024) and jumping-wise I wouldn’t say he’s a better jumper than us. I know he beat us in Leopardstown as a novice chaser, but we weren’t right on the day.

“We’re happy with our horse, he has won a Champion Chase this year and we won one last year, so it’ll be a good match-up.”

Mullins has also entered Blood Destiny, Energumene and Majborough, with Henry de Bromhead’s Captain Guinness, Harry Fry’s Gidleigh Park and Joseph O’Brien’s Melling Chase runner-up Solness completing the list of eight.

Mullins’ brilliant Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Gaelic Warrior is among 14 entries for the following day’s Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup, with his stablemate and Irish Gold Cup conqueror Fact To File and Ben Pauling’s King George hero The Jukebox Man among his potential rivals.

Pauling said: “He’s a horse that I know has got the ability to be in these races. There’s no taking away from how impressive Gaelic Warrior was, but we’ve got to try serve it up to him.

“So long as he’s sound and well and 100 per cent, we’ll be there.”

Thursday’s big race is Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle, which features the likes of Bob Olinger, Teahupoo and the Cheltenham and Aintree winner Home By The Lee, although the latter’s trainer Joseph O’Brien has suggested his veteran could instead wait for the French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil.

Nick Rockett, who did not defend his Grand National title last weekend, is an interesting entry for the Mullins team.

On day four of the meeting the main event is the Boodles Champion Hurdle, in which the Mullins-trained mare Lossiemouth could bid to supplement her victory in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

She could renew rivalry with Brighterdaysahead following her Aintree Hurdle triumph last week, while the two British-trained hopefuls are Jeremy Scott’s star mare Golden Ace and Jonjo and AJ O’Neill’s County Hurdle winner Wilful.

Another intriguing contender is the Connell’s William Munny, who has not been seen in competitive action since finishing second to Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Connell said: “He was in that piece of work with Marine Nationale in Fairyhouse and went well.

“He’s going to be rusty and he’ll be taking on horses that are match fit, but I just wanted to get a run into him in open company ahead of next season.

“I think he’ll certainly be fit enough to do himself justice, it’ll be a small enough field and we’re happy with where he is at the moment.”

Lossiemouth, Brighterdaysahead and Golden Ace are also entered alongside Wodhooh for the SBK Irish EBF Mares’ Champion Hurdle, one of two Grade One events on the fifth and final day of the Festival alongside the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle.

A record-breaking total of €3.6million will be up for grabs across the five-day Festival, while one of the major sub-plots to the meeting this year is the fight for the Irish trainers’ championship.

Willie Mullins remains a hot favourite to claim the title for a 20th time, but Gordon Elliott still holds the lead in his quest for an elusive first championship.