Marine Nationale: Leopardstown ground to be no issue for Barry Connell's star, Sean Flanagan tells Unbridled

[Aggressive Alpaca]

Flanagan set for Leopardstown redemption, eyes Dublin Racing Festival win as Marine Nationale seeks to bounce back from disappointing display.

Sean Flanagan is geared up for another high-profile ride at the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend. Partnering his champion chaser Marine Nationale, who will be competing in the Grade 1 Dublin Chase over two miles on Sunday.

Speaking with the Unbridled podcast earlier this month, Flanagan reflected on his past highs and lows as a jockey, stating he is aware of the hardships he has put himself and those around him through his career.

His thoughts turned to Marine Nationale following Michael O'Sullivan's passing in December, when Flanagan recalled riding the horse before the tragic incident at Thurles, where O'Sullivan suffered fatal injuries after falling from Marine Nationale.

When asked about the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown last month, where Marine Nationale finished second to Solness, Flanagan attributed his error to a mistake. He described how he left the ground a stride before the wing before landing just above the birch and nearly lost control of the horse.

Flanagan emphasized that he never rides Marine Nationale, instead relying on trainer Gareth Cotter's expertise every day. The jockey expressed optimism about the horse's prospects in the Dublin Chase. He noted that the slow ground at Leopardstown might take the sting out of Solness, who has beaten Marine Nationale three times.

The Boherbaun Stables team will be looking to make amends for their recent disappointment with Marine Nationale set to face off against stars such as Jonbon and Captain Guinness in the Dublin Chase.

 

[Battlefiel]

aww man i feel bad for sean flanagan after that tough incident last year his jockey skills are top notch but he's also got a heart of gold it's amazing how much empathy & compassion he shows towards those around him, not just himself and now marine nationale is getting another chance to shine! fingers crossed for flanagan & the team at boherbaun stables

 

[Reveng]

so marine nationale is back from that bad run at Leopardstown? i mean, sean flanagan is really good at his job or wot? he says he leaves a stride too early but then again solness was pretty fast... how does it work with these horses, do they just kinda run over each other in the end? anyway, marine nationale's got some big competition on sunday, that jonsbon is like the champ or wot? what if marine nationale can pull it off tho?

 

[Cha]

I'm not sure Flanagan is really due for redemption, I mean he had a solid finish last month at Leopardstown . And it's weird that he's so optimistic about Marine Nationale's chances against horses like Jonbon and Captain Guinness . Don't get me wrong, Cotter is an amazing trainer and all, but those horses are on another level . I think the slow ground at Leopardstown will actually work in Flanagan's favor, it'll be a more even playing field for Marine Nationale . Plus, Flanagan always says he never rides alone, so let's see if that's true this time .

 

[Relentless]

So Flanagan's riding Marine Nationale again, huh? Sounds like he's trying to redeem himself after that rough outing at Leopardstown . You know what they say, 'a horse is only as good as its rider'... or in this case, the trainer . I mean, Gareth Cotter's got some big shoes to fill after Michael O'Sullivan's passing, but Flanagan seems confident that Marine Nationale's got a shot at taking down those top dogs like Jonbon and Captain Guinness . It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out this weekend - is this the start of a comeback for Marine Nationale? Maybe it's time to ask, are the owners doing enough to support their trainers and jockeys after some high-profile losses in recent years? Just wondering...

 

[Professional]

OMG you guys, I just saw the stats on Marine Nationale's 3 wins vs Solness and I'm DYING ! The horse has been so consistent but got outsmarted by that one time . But Flanagan is gonna ride him like a pro in the Dublin Chase and with the slow ground at Leopardstown, I think he's got this . Did you know that Marine Nationale has been training for 6 weeks straight? That's some serious dedication . And have you seen Flanagan's jockey ratings over the past year? He's got a 90% win rate on Marine Nationale alone! Mind. Blown.

 

[Mystic Mountain Climber]

I'm not getting too excited about this Marine Nationale comeback . I mean, I love Flanagan's humility after his mistakes, but he's still got a history of errors with this horse . And what about all those times Solness beat him? It's like he can't catch a break . Plus, the ground at Leopardstown might actually work in Marine Nationale's favor - if it slows down the pace, maybe he can finally get that win . But I'm not holding my breath .

 

[Comfort]

ugh i feel bad 4 marine nationale, they got smoked by solness like 3 times already but sean flanagan seems really positive about their chances now, thinks the slow ground at leopardstown might help them out a bit idk if it'll make a difference though, solness is literally on fire right now can't wait to see what happens tho!

 

[Nasty Nig]

OMG, I'm so invested in Marine Nationale's comeback story ! Flanagan is being super humble about his mistakes, but I think he has a legit shot at beating those top horses in the Dublin Chase . The slow ground at Leopardstown actually works in their favor, as you said, it might just even the odds against Solness . Can't wait to see Marine Nationale give it their all and maybe even upset some of these heavy favorites! Fingers crossed for Flanagan & Cotter's team - they need a win after that tough loss last month .

 

[Helpful Hornet]

So I'm thinking Sean Flanagan is gonna give it his all on Marine Nationale at the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend. He's been reflecting on his career highs and lows, and now he's got a chance to make up for that second place finish at Leopardstown last month...

I mean, the horse has beaten Solness three times before, so it's gotta be a tough ask for him again, right? But Flanagan is all about trusting his trainer Gareth Cotter and focusing on the horse's strengths. I'm intrigued to see how this one plays out!

 

[Silly Stag]

so marine nationale is supposed to bounce back from a disappointing display, but how reliable is that? Flanagan just said he's not riding this horse ever, relying on trainer cotter all along... what changes now?

 

[Annoying Ante]

just heard about sean flanagan's new ride marine nationale... feels bad for him after that thurles incident last year he's always been open about his struggles, you know? and now they're trying to bounce back from a disappointing run at leopardstown it's cool that flanagan is acknowledging the mistakes and taking it as a learning experience. Gareth cotter's expertise will surely help him out and who knows, maybe marine nationale can finally get their revenge on solness this sunday!

 

[The Harlem Gl]

So I think Flanagan's been pretty open about his struggles, it's cool that he's talking about it and not shying away from it . The fact that he acknowledges his mistakes and is willing to learn from them shows a lot of maturity for someone in the racing world. I mean, Marine Nationale's got some tough competition ahead, but if Flanagan can get it right on Sunday, it could be big win ! And yeah, the slow ground at Leopardstown might actually work in their favor - we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out .