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The 2026 Cheltenham Festival was already reeling from the absence of several blue-chip stars, but the sense of a “cursed” championship season deepened on Tuesday morning with the shock withdrawal of the reigning two-mile king, Marine Nationale.
Owner-trainer Barry Connell confirmed the news that has sent shockwaves through the ante-post markets, revealing that his stable star will not defend his title in next Wednesday’s BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase. The nine-year-old, a dual Festival winner who lit up Prestbury Park in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and last year’s Champion Chase, was found to be “very sore through his neck” at his Kildare base.
“It’s horrendous luck,” Connell told the Racing Post. “He may have got cast in his box overnight. We’ve had the vets in, and he’s on pain relief, but the timing is just brutal. If this happened two weeks ago, we might have been okay, but we are simply out of time.”
The loss of Marine Nationale further guts a Festival schedule that is starting to look uncomfortably thin at the top end. Coming so soon after Nicky Henderson’s tactical switch with Constitution Hill and the injury to State Man, the two-mile divisions are being stripped of their heavy hitters.
For the Champion Chase itself, the market has undergone a violent restructuring. Willie Mullins’ Majborough, who had already claimed the scalp of Marine Nationale at the Dublin Racing Festival, has been hammered into a prohibitive 8-11 favorite. While Majborough’s credentials are rock solid, the race has undeniably lost its “clash of the titans” feel.
The vacuum left by the champion has, however, opened the door for a potential blockbuster move from the JP McManus camp. While Majborough carries the famous green and gold silks, there is now mounting speculation that Jonbon could be rerouted from the Ryanair Chase to take his chance at the shorter trip. Nicky Henderson has remained tight-lipped, but with the defending champion out, the temptation to aim for the crown Jonbon has twice missed out on must be significant.
Other beneficiaries of the news include the Dan Skelton-trained L’Eau Du Sud, who has been trimmed to 7-2, and the evergreen Il Etait Temps. For the local fans, L’Eau Du Sud represents a massive chance for the home team to keep a championship trophy in Britain, but they will have to overcome a Willie Mullins battalion that seems to grow stronger as the opposition falls away.
As the dust settles on another dramatic morning, the 2026 Cheltenham Festival continues to prove that in National Hunt racing, the hardest part isn’t winning the race, it’s getting to the start line.
