Marine Nationale © Photo Healy Racing
Barry Connell saddled a couple of winners at Gowran Park in recent days and is looking forward to the return of some of his stable stars.
Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Marine Nationale impressed on chase debut at Leopardstown last Christmas but hasn't been seen since running poorly at the same venue in February when sent off 4/7 favourite for the Irish Arkle.
"He's cantering away about four weeks now and all seems good," said Connell.
"We are looking at two starting points, the Poplar Square Chase in Naas on November 10th which is a Grade 3, or the Fortria at Navan the following week. They're very similar races, both over two miles, and we'll go wherever the ground is nicest. That will give him five weeks then until Leopardstown at Christmas.
"He seems in good nick and is showing plenty of enthusiasm. He's only cantering at the moment but he'll start to step up soon and we'll probably bring him to the Curragh in the next ten days or so and start letting him do swingers. The lads are happy with him at home.
"He's one to look forward to and if he hadn't blown out at the Dublin Racing Festival, he'd probably be favourite for the Queen Mother and we still have all the faith in him. Every horse is entitled to one bad run. Hopefully, that was it and he can get back on track."
A Grade 1 winner at the 2023 Dublin Racing Festival before finishing fourth to Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore at Cheltenham, Good Land missed last season and is another on the comeback trail.
"He had a more serious injury, he got a proper leg, a tendon. He's had to have a full year off and is a bit behind the rest but the scans are all good and he's ready to go back.
"He'll probably start back cantering this week and I'd say, if everything goes according to plan, we'd probably look at a beginners' chase for him in late November.
"After winning a beginners, you're into a Grade 1. He's an interesting horse in that he probably would have been a two-and-a-half miler. I'd sooner go back to two (miles) with him rather than three. If we hadn't got Marine Nationale, he probably would have run in the Supreme rather than the two-and-a-half mile race at Cheltenham.
"With these horses who've had a tendon injury, you're always minding them, but it's healed and he's ready to go and we'll see what happens."
On the rest of his string, Connell added: "I'm very happy with our team for the winter. The couple of Grade 1 horses that went missing on us are back.
"Towards the end of last season, William Munny came along and acquitted himself well in the Champion Bumper at Punchestown. He'll go hurdling and we'll probably find a maiden for him around Drinmore time.
"We've a couple of nice bumper horses and we've a few second-season novice chasers, so I think we've a very nice team to go to war with this year."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
