Barry Connell: I’m not going to big up my horses anymore, apart from Marine Nationale
THERE aren’t many trainers like Barry Connell; a former hedge fund manager who used to combine his job with riding out six days a week.
Born close to Leopardstown in south Dublin, Connell was in his 30s before he learned to ride, yet he notched over 30 winners in the UK and Ireland before taking out a training licence six years ago.
As with his entry into racing, Connell’s approach to training is different. At his Boherbaun Stables in Nurney, County Kildare, horses are given the time they need to reach their full potential.
“Our core mission statement here is to create a career for the horse – it’s all about putting the horse at the centre of everything,” Connell says.
It’s clear that in this intricately designed yard, built from scratch eight years ago, everything has been planned with that focus.
A sense of calm and order pervades. That’s through design; from the lack of organic material in the stables to the courtyard boxes designed for maximum airflow, the Wexford sand on the gallop and the neatly trimmed beech hedges.
As Connell speaks there’s a sense that this order is the creation of a deeply analytical mind, one that leaves no stone unturned to compete with, and beat, the biggest powerhouses in the sport, despite a considerable numerical disadvantage.
“We’re trying to be a niche operator here; we’re trying to just have quality horses and give them every opportunity to succeed. The big stables operate on a different basis. We’re a small family and we’re able to take on all the big guns in Ireland and the UK, which just gives you an extra sense of satisfaction.
“The whole process is what I enjoy – being down here with the horses in the early morning, seeing them on the gallop and just going into the stables and standing with them. You’ll find a lot of people that have worked with horses and go away and do something else feel the pull to come back and work with them, because they are just magic creatures.”
Marine Nationale, his stable star and a four-time Grade One winner, clearly holds a special place in his affections. The son of French Navy was an emotional winner of last year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, just a month after the tragic death of jockey Michael O’Sullivan who had ridden him to victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle two years earlier.
“It was a very emotional day”, Connell recalled. “Michael won his first bumper on him in Punchestown. You could just see the talent he had, so I sat him down one day and said, ‘I think you should turn pro’.
“I put him on Enniskerry to win a Grade Three in Roscommon – his first win in a Graded race – and then he won the Royal Bond and went on to win the Supreme [on Marine Nationale].
“Michael was a tremendous talent, and it was a terrible tragedy what happened. I think it was a great thing racing as a sport rallied around and last year’s race [the Supreme] was named after him.”
Next month Marine Nationale will attempt to defend his crown in the Champion Chase and as usual Connell is full of fighting talk about his chances, despite him coming up short twice this season.
“He was unlucky the first day [at Leopardstown], on race IQ data he lost 15 lengths with the mistake he made early on and was only beaten half-a-length. Last time it was the heaviest ground I’ve ever seen at Leopardstown. They were extreme conditions and I’d put a line through that run.
“He’s been to Cheltenham twice and he’s won on the bridle twice. I think we’ll see a different horse again in March. That’s not just my opinion; it’s backed up by the form book when you look at what he does when he goes there every year.
“On official ratings we’ve five pounds to make up, but several factors will come into play at Cheltenham. We’ll get spring ground and there’s the Cheltenham factor, so I don’t think we’ve that much ground to make up [with Majborough].”
Connell, who is also set to be represented by Eachtotheirown in this year’s Supreme, is known for talking up his horses’ chances, but he has promised not to do so again, except for one horse.
“People are probably fed up with listening to me bigging up my own horses, and I’m not going to do it again, it’s too much stress. Only for him [Marine Nationale] because I know how good he is. He’s not only a once-in-a-lifetime horse, he’s a once in 10,000 horse. We’re just lucky that he’s landed in our yard.”
Can Marine Nationale win another Champion Chase next month? You can bet there’s one man in Nurney, County Kildare that can’t imagine anything else.