'I've always felt I was the supersub - but with Marine Nationale I now have a flagship horse for the first time in years'

Every jockey yearns for a Grade 1 horse, one who has them dreaming throughout the off-season and has them striving to pitch up at the spring festivals at the very peak of their abilities.

During his time riding for eight-time Irish champion jumps trainer Noel Meade, Sean Flanagan steered home 161 domestic winners for the yard, including five at the top level, forging a particularly fruitful relationship with the durable Road To Respect. But since splitting with Meade at the end of the 2022-23 season, he has not had access to the same level of equine firepower.

All that has changed now, with Flanagan the beneficiary of Michael O'Sullivan's split with Barry Connell, giving him access to a Grade 1 horse in Marine Nationale for the first time since his stint with Meade. More immediately, it also gives him an interesting ride on My Immortal in Thursday's Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park, 15 years after he won the race for Jimmy Mangan on Whinstone Boy.