Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty deliver poignant double
All the talking points from day two at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival
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Sean Flanagan returns to the parade ring after Marine Nationale's win in the Champion Chase
On a heart-stirring day at the Festival which saw six of the seven races won by the Green Team, here are five things we learned…
Emotional double makes for special 40 minutes
Day two at Cheltenham was a particularly poignant one as Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty stormed to emotional victories.
The pair were Michael O’Sullivan’s winners on the opening day of the 2023 Festival and both returned to the winners’ enclosure in back-to-back races, Marine Nationale landing the Champion Chase before Jazzy Matty followed up in the Grand Annual.
Both winning jockeys, Sean Flanagan and Danny Gilligan, paid tribute to O’Sullivan, whose girlfriend Charlotte was among the team saddling up Marine Nationale.
“All the jockeys in Ireland, the UK and the world have been under a cloud for the past couple of weeks,” Flanagan said.
“I’m only the man who is steering him round today, Michael is the man who made him what he is. He’ll never be forgotten for that.”
Gilligan added: “Unbelievable. There is someone very special looking down on us all today.”
Townend enjoys special winner
Jody Townend is used to seeing brother Paul in the Festival winners’ enclosure and now knows just what it feels like following a brilliant ride on Bambino Fever in the Champion Bumper.
She thought she might be big-footed off the ride by on the Dublin Racing Festival winner her elder sibling.
“She is special,” Townend said. “She’s so straightforward and made my life straightforward.
“I kind of thought Paul would take her and up until a couple of weeks ago he might still have done, but he saw Gameofinches and took that ride.
“I was so happy when I saw my name next to this horse earlier this week.”
Her victory led to jubilant scenes for the O’Connell Morgan Syndicate, bedecked in yellow and blue, and the champagne was flowing around the parade ring afterwards.
“They are a great bunch,” Townend added. “It’s their first horse in training with Willie and they have struck gold. I’m delighted to see them get such a kick out of it.”
Lecky Watson springs a surprise
It was a good day for syndicates overall and the Slaneyville Syndicate were also making plenty of noise as Lecky Watson came home in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
Ballyburn set off as heavy favourite but was below-par throughout and left the door ajar for his stablemate, who surged home under Sean O’Keeffe.
Winning trainer Willie Mullins said: “Sean kept it very simple, and it was an excellent ride. I hadn’t been planning to go the Gold Cup route with this one, but we have to go that way now.”
Donoghue in a league of his own
Nobody’s eyes light up around Cheltenham’s Cross Country course quite like Keith Donoghue’s.
Having won the race three times on Tiger Roll and once on Delta Work, the seasoned campaigner had a great chance to make it number five with favourite Stumptown – and boy did he deliver.
He had work to do heading down the home straight but pulled away over the last as Gavin Cromwell’s pre-race musing that his charge’s ‘legs grow when he sees the Cross Country obstacles’ proved prescient.
Stablemate Vanillier came home third while Donoghue, who now has more wins in this race than anyone else, heaped praise on those who have helped him get there.
“I’m riding for the right people,” he said. “I was riding for Gordon (Elliott) before and Gavin now. When you’re riding this calibre of horse, it makes it a lot easier.”
Jimmy Du Seuil proves worth the wait for Danny Mullins
Danny Mullins has had to be patient in his bid to return to the Festival winners’ enclosure.
He has hit the crossbar on several occasions since Flooring Porter retained his Stayers’ Hurdle crown in 2022 but got over the line on this occasion as 16/1 shot Jimmy Du Seuil landed the Coral Cup.
“Credit goes to Willie Mullins,” the winning jockey said. “Coming here with no runs this season, preparing one for a handicap with no run in a handicap, it’s just great to be a part of that team.
“It was unbelievable. I felt the snow this morning would help his chance. It was quite testing ground here last year and in fairness to him the last furlong was always going to be that difficult furlong, but he hit the line very strong."