Barry Connell believes he is heading to Cheltenham with the best Irish-trained prospect of toppling Jonbon in the Queen Mother Champion Chase – despite Marine Nationale’s defeat behind Solness on Sunday.

Winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle two seasons ago, his novice chase campaign was cut short after just two runs with a tendon injury.

The eight-year-old is gradually getting back to something like his old form, though, and Connell feels his last two races at Leopardstown will stand him in great stead for the spring.

“He had to do all the donkey work really,” said Connell, referring to Marine Nationale attempting to catch runaway leader Solness.

“The winner has had 17 runs over fences, he’s a hardened handicapper who got his own way in front and, to be fair to him, he jumped really well.

“At the back of the third last, Sean (Flanagan) had a decision to make and he went after the horse in front – and when you do that, chasing down the one in front, you sometimes pay the penalty.

“The good thing was that our horse did the hard yards and even from the back of the last, he hit the line very hard. It was 12 lengths back to Gaelic Warrior and another 10 back to Quilixios, the other horse who laid up with him.

“It was a really truly-run race, they were up to 34mph at a couple of stages, it was a proper-run Grade 1, which is what you want.”

Having missed out on the majority of his novice season, Connell thinks Marine Nationale is still making up for lost time.

“That’s only his fifth run over fences, the ninth of his life. The big thing I took out of Christmas was his round of jumping and yesterday I thought he was even better again, he’s having a real cut now, which is what you need to do over two miles,” he said.

“He has a couple of lengths to find on the winner but going to Cheltenham, we are a course and distance winner on the Old course, we know we act on it.

“Having comprehensively beaten the other Irish horses, I know Energumene wasn’t there but all the others were, I would be confident that we’ll be going there with the best Irish challenger to take on Jonbon.

“I think we’ve every right to come forward again experience-wise and maybe we’ll get a bit of drier spring ground.

“We were thrilled with the run, he’s showed the suspensory injury is fully healed, he’s coming on nicely with each run and he’ll be perfect for Cheltenham and Punchestown, hopefully.”

French opponent

Il Est Francais will contest either the Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair Chase. The French star was scratched from the Gold Cup in order to avoid a clash with the “absolute monster” that is Galopin Des Champs.

Second in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day under a buccaneering front-running ride from James Reveley, Il Est Francais was entered for all three championship races in the Cotswolds, ranging from the two-mile Champion Chase to the three-and-a-quarter-mile Gold Cup.

Joint-trainer Noel George has been keen to monitor the major trials before considering which way he will head with his stable star in March – and having seen dual Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs claim a third Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Saturday, the blue riband is now off the table.

Speaking on Monday, George said: “You have to admire how good Galopin Des Champs was at the weekend. I’m hoping our lad is going to turn into a Gold Cup horse one day, but while you’ve got a horse like Galopin Des Champs around, I think we’re best waiting a year or two.

“Galopin Des Champs is an absolute monster. It’s great for racing that he’s there and obviously he’s going to be very difficult to beat in the Gold Cup.

“He was a horse that was quite exuberant early on in his career, a little bit like Il Est Francais, so I think if we take our time and do everything the right way, I’d like to think we could end up going the same way if we can get him to switch off and be able to ride him how we want.

“I’d like to think we might be a Gold Cup horse one day, but this year is probably not the year to try it.”

Il Est Francais is a 4/1 shot for both the Champion Chase and the Ryanair with one leading bookmaker, making him the second-favourite in both markets behind Jonbon and Fact To File respectively.

A final decision on which race the gallic raider will ultimately line up for is unlikely to be made until much nearer the time, with George keen to weigh up both underfoot conditions and the opposition.

“Having watched the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown over the weekend, obviously Solness has been very impressive the last two times having been allowed to do his own thing out in front,” the trainer added.

“Then you look at Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup (finished third), I thought he switched off nicely and I don’t think there were really any excuses.

“I think we’ve just got to see where everyone is going to run and the ground will be quite a big factor as well. If it’s soft ground, we’re probably not going to go for the Ryanair, but it depends where everyone runs and what the ground is going to be, I think.”