All roads now lead to the DRF for Marine Nationale All roads now lead to the Dublin Racing Festival for Marine Nationale, after he was dramatically denied in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown yesterday afternoon. Marine Nationale Heroics Following Early Blunder Barry Connell's Champion Chase hero made a near race-ending error at the second fence, with Sean Flanagan working wonders to keep the partnership intact. Despite that dreadful blunder, the four-time Grade 1 winner still finished an admirable second to Solness, who was winning this race for the second consecutive year. "He was brought to a standstill and was only beaten half a length. It's unfortunate but he (Flanagan) said he just let fly at the fence," Connell remarked. "He's never made a mistake like that before and he was probably fresh the first run of the season. He jumped all the other fences really well. Looking Ahead to the Dublin Racing Festival "He ran all the way to the line as he always does. Other than winning we couldn't be more pleased. "We'll be back for the Dublin Racing Festival, and hopefully there won’t be any repeat of that. We're looking forward to the rest of the season." Additional reporting by Alan Magee
