HIS supporters were forced to wait until December 27th to see him for the first time over fences but Marine Nationale proved more than worth the wait when taking apart a useful field in the two-mile-one-furlong Paddy Power From The Horses Mouth Podcast Beginners Chase in taking fashion.

Barry Connell’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle star looked completely at ease on his introduction to chasing and had an answer for every question posed of him on the front end by Feu Du Bresil.

He went clear with ease to see his Arkle odds cut to between 4/5 and even-money (from 7/4), collecting here as 1/2 favourite under Michael O’Sullivan. The Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival is next, ahead of a tilt at the Arkle itself at Cheltenham.

Connell said: “I definitely didn’t enjoy today. It was worse than the five minutes before the Supreme Novices’. Last year we were coming in under the radar but this year we’re favourite for the Arkle, and we were expected to win.

“It’s a horse race, and anything can go wrong, but the way he jumped there today, he has vindicated what we thought of him, what we were seeing from his schooling – he’s an absolute natural. He was only three-quarters fit. Michael said he gave a little bit of a blow.

“He was a little gassy early on, but you couldn’t ask any more than that. He’s just class and has a super engine. When you marry that with how efficiently he’s able to jump … I don’t think he made a mistake.

“We’re thrilled to have him back. He’s the horse of a lifetime, and I’m just blessed that he came into our yard. They’re one in 10,000, these horses. You might only get one in a lifetime - if you’re lucky. The big yards maybe get ten in a lifetime. This horse is exceptional. We’re only custodians of him. We tried to do what was best for him last year. Today is a massive relief for me.”

Expanding on why Marine Nationale had been fitted with a tongue-tie for the first time, Connell added: “He had a little tidy-up wind operation last year. We just thought it might improve him a little bit.”

Intellotto impresses

Joseph O’Brien has a canny knack of popping up with winners at the major National Hunt festivals despite having a small string over jumps, and he produced a smart juvenile hurdler in the opening Paddy Power I Have No Idea What Day It Is 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle with Intellotto.

Carrying the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede under Daryl Jacob, the 87-rated flat maiden coped with conditions well and pulled four and a half lengths clear of 150/1 outsider Lucy Wang (making her debut for Josh Halley).

O’Brien said: “The ground was softer than we thought it was going to be, but it was a lovely debut. Daryl taught him a lot and he jumped pretty well on the whole.

“I’m delighted to have a winner here for Simon and Isaac and this looks a smashing horse for the spring. I think the next logical step would be to come back here for the Dublin Racing Festival.”

Tango on time

Another Co Kilkenny trainer to make his mark on the card was Eoin Griffin, who plundered the €30,000 Paddy Power Who Put The Wrappers Back In The Box? Handicap Hurdle under Mark Walsh for J.P. McManus.

Griffin has been enjoying a solid campaign, winning with eight of the 15 individual horses he has run during the season so far, and this 4/1 chance came home strongly to score off a mark of 122.

“I was a little bit concerned about the ground, but he handled it well and it’s brilliant to get a winner here at Christmas for J.P.,” said the winning trainer.

“It’s been a while since we had a Christmas winner and we’re over the moon. It seemed to go pretty straightforward. Hopefully he might come back here for the Dublin Racing Festival. We’ll see how it goes between now and then and have a chat with Frank [Berry, racing manager to McManus].”

WHAT started as a quiet festive week for the Closutton camp really clicked into gear on day two of the Christmas action - both at Limerick and Leopardstown - and a €200,000 Paddy Power Chase success for Meetingofthewaters illustrated just how potent Mullins is at these meetings.

The shrewd acquisition from Eugene O’Sullivan’s yard had won a rated beginners’ chase at Cork on his previous start when in the colours of Patrick Mullins, but he stepped up to produce a clear career best under Danny Mullins for new owner Paul Byrne, a close friend to the Mullins family.

Meetingofthewaters didn’t go unbacked off his handy weight of 10st 7lb either, returning the 6/1 second favourite.

“It’s a fantastic result for Paul Byrne,” said the champion trainer.

“Patrick has a lot to do with this fellow, but I think he was hoping he’d be more of a Kim Muir horse and that is gone out the window now.

“It’s great prize money and a tremendous prize to win with a horse like this.

“Paul is great at seeing gaps in the market when buying horses. He’s able to spot horses rather than paying big money. He has an eye for a horse and is able to put a deal together. He probably looks for horses in places that other people don’t.”

Joystick is game

Mullins ended the card with a Leopardstown treble, which was soon followed with the completion of a Limerick hat-trick, when private point-to-point acquisition Joystick stayed on strongly to land the Paddy Power The Flat One Bumper.

Sourced from Donnchadh Doyle for Susannah Ricci, the 11/8 favourite - ridden by Patrick Mullins - galloped on stoutly to finish a length and a quarter in front of Declan Queally’s Artic Lane.

“He was third in a point-to-point and we went down to see him at the Doyles’,” said the winning trainer.

“He’s a nice staying type and a real chaser in the making.

“A long-striding, old-fashioned chaser and a nice acquisition. He’ll stick to bumpers this season.”