Marine Nationale seals emotional Cheltenham triumph

Marine Nationale claimed an emotional victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

The 5-1 chance, ridden by Sean Flanagan for owner-trainer Barry Connell, won a dramatic race by 18 lengths from favourite Jonbon, whose progress was halted by a jumping mistake.

Marine Nationale had won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle two years ago in the same yellow and blue colours for Michael O'Sullivan, the Irish jockey who died after a fall last month.

"I'm just the man on him today, Michael made him what he is," said Flanagan.

"It's hugely emotional for a lot of reasons. His family find it very hard. Jockeys in Ireland, England and around the world have been under a cloud in the last couple of weeks."

The New Lion (3-1) extended his unbeaten run to five with an impressive win from The Yellow Clay in the Turners Novices' Hurdle.

Jockey Harry Skelton triumphed for trainer brother Dan to seal an 80th Festival victory for owner JP McManus, who bought the horse earlier this year.

"He's a phenomenal horse and I've never had one like this," said Dan of The New Lion, who is around a 7-1 shot for next year's Champion Hurdle.

Lecky Watson was guided by Sean O'Keeffe to a surprise 20-1 triumph in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase for Willie Mullins.

Stablemate Ballyburn was sent off the warm favourite but he never recovered from a major blunder at the seventh fence.

Another Mullins outsider, the 16-1 chance Jimmy Du Seuil, won the Coral Cup under the trainer's nephew Danny. The winner had finished 13 lengths second to Ballyburn as a novice hurdler at Cheltenham last year.

The 5-2 favourite Stumptown stayed on best of all to win the Cross Country Chase for jockey Keith Donoghue and trainer Gavin Cromwell. Latenightpass was second with Vanillier third, having earlier nearly led the whole field down the wrong route.