'I've ridden and owned Cheltenham winners but this is a different league'

Sunday: Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, Fairyhouse

Barry Connell's yellow colours are not new, they will be very familiar to most of you. What is new is the trainer the leading owner is using of late. Himself.

It takes a lot of time, energy, motivation and money to go out on your own these days, but it will have been worth every cent and bead of sweat as he watched Marine Nationale surge late to land the Royal Bond to extend his unbeaten sequence to four from four.

This is a proper racehorse, he must be to survive such an awkward leap at the last, and in any normal season he would be favourite for the Supreme now. The problem this season is a freak called Facile Vega, so you can still get 7-1 with Betfair and Paddy Power for the festival opener.

It was Connell's first Grade 1 win as a trainer, nine years after the same yellow colours were carried to victory by The Tullow Tank in the same race. This would have meant more. This is the new Barry Connell and this is the new Barry Connell's best horse.

"It's brilliant. I've ridden Cheltenham winners, I've owned Cheltenham winners, but this is a different league altogether," said Connell.

"He nearly threw it away at the last with a bunny hop, but he dug in. It was the first time he's ever been off the bridle in his life and he had to be tough.

"I didn't know what he'd do off the bridle. Sometimes these bridle horses don't find a whole lot, but you'd love the way he battled and toughed it out. I'm thrilled to have him.

"We ride him for speed. He's actually a Flat-bred horse, so we were always going to sit in behind the fancied ones and have a go.

"He'll improve again from that and is a genuine Grade 1 horse now. I imagine we'll skip Leopardstown at Christmas as he's had a hard race and instead go to the Dublin Racing Festival, then the Supreme."

Barry Connell: 'He nearly threw it away at the last with a bunny hop, but he dug in'Credit: Caroline Norris

Winning jockey Michael O'Sullivan, the 22-year-old 5lb claimer who was celebrating his first Grade 1 success, looked as if he'd just won a claimer around Kilbeggan on a summer's evening. This kid is cool.

He said: "He's a savage horse and it was only his second run over hurdles. He was a bit novicey over one or two but just travelled everywhere, and I just kept riding him and saving him for as long as I could.

"In fairness to the horse, he missed the last and still picked up at the back of it and went all the way to the line. He's just an amazing horse and I love him."

Marine Nationale had spent most of the week around 3-1 for the Royal Bond but he was a big drifter on the day, going out to 11-2. The reason for that was the flood of money for Champ Kiely, who went off odds-on but could finish only fourth.

Irish Point almost made the transition from a Cork maiden hurdle to a Grade 1 in stunning fashion after kicking a few lengths clear after the last, but he was collared in the final few strides.

It was one of the few things that didn't go Gordon Elliott's way on Sunday.

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