THE horse with a French-sounding name, Marine Nationale is actually an Irish-bred, a son of the former Kildangan Stud sire French Navy (Shamardal), and out of a mare who was once trained by Sir Henry Cecil.

Barry Connell owns and trains Marine Nationale, and the five-year-old is now unbeaten in four starts, two each in bumpers and over hurdles. On Sunday he went in at the deep end, contesting the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, and he emerged with flying colours. Yes, the margin of a head would not at first glance appear impressive, but he almost came to a standstill at the last, and showed courage and determination to get up and win.

The Royal Bond is a race that rarely throws up a winner who does not go on to greater things. Expect more from Marine Nationale. Bred by J B Bloodstock, I think it is safe to assume that this is a trading name for Ballykelly Stud’s John O’Connor, given that he raced the dam, Power Of Future (Definite Article), and one of her daughters, Ballinderry Moth (Yeats).

Power Of Future was bred in Germany and sold at Baden-Baden as a yearling for €11,000. She then was consigned to Sir Henry Cecil by her owner, Gerhard Schoeningh, and she won three times.

At four she was sent to the July Sale in Newmarket, was bought by O’Connor for 42,000gns, and sent to Andy Oliver. Try as they might, the elusive blacktype or additional win they sought didn’t happen, and Power Of Future went to stud.

Five foals ensued, one of which was never named, but the others have all run and won. Perfect Summer (High Chaparral) won twice on the level and three times over hurdles and is now at stud. Ballinderry Moth was a bumper winner, placed in a listed bumper at Navan, and she too is at stud. Bells Of Peterboro (Carlotamix) is trained by Tim Vaughan and has won four hurdle races, while Marine Nationale is the last produce from Power Of Future.

A half-sister to three winners in Germany, Power Of Future has a half-sister who has also made her mark with a smart National Hunt performer. Power Again (Dashing Blade) bred the Grade 2-winning chaser Draycott Place (Oscar), and he was placed in another race sponsored by Bar One Racing, namely the Grade A Dan Moore Chase at Fairyhouse.

Classic family

This is a classic German family in its further removes. Marine Nationale’s grandam Pik Konigin (Konigsstuhl) is a winning own-sister to the 1992 Group 1 German Derby winner Pik Konig.

Their dam Pikante (Surumu) earned blacktype when she won the Dujardin Steeplechase at Krefeld, an unusual route taken given that she was born just a year before her own German Derby-winning half-brother, Philipo (Prince Ippi).

The third and fourth removes of this family has produced two German Derby winners, group winners in Norway, Sweden and Germany, listed flat winners in England, Turkey and Germany, and blacktype winners over jumps in Germany and Italy. It doesn’t get more exotic than that.

French Navy stood for five seasons at Kildangan after a racing career that saw him win 11 times, four times at Group 3 level, but he never was well supported. Nonetheless, his first crop included Marine Nationale, the smart Noel Meade-trained Group 2 winner Layfayette, the listed French winner Opasan, and the stakes-placed Irish Admiral.