Istabraq, the legendary three-time Champion Hurdle winner, has died at the age of 32 at JP McManus's Martinstown Stud in County Limerick.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Istabraq won three Champion Hurdles between 1998 and 2000, and endeared himself to the racing public with 25 victories under his belt. He also won the Royal Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1997.
In a brief statement released on Thursday, McManus said, “Sadly, Istabraq passed away at 1.15am this morning at the ripe old age of 32. He was a very special horse who gave us many great days of fun and enjoyment. Our thanks to Lara Hegarty, Johnny O'Brien and all the staff at Martinstown who took such fantastic care of him over many years.”
The owner added, “We are pleased that we gave him a good celebration for his most recent birthday in May. He leaves Noreen, myself and the family with wonderful memories.”
Initially a smart Flat horse for John Gosden, the son of Sadler's Wells went on to become one of the greatest and most popular National Hunt horses of the modern era after joining O'Brien.
As well as his Cheltenham Festival heroics, he also won four Irish Champion Hurdles, two Hatton's Grace Hurdles and an Aintree Hurdle over the course of his glittering career.
Istabraq's racing days came to an end after being pulled up in his bid for a fourth Champion Hurdle success at Cheltenham in 2002 and he has since enjoyed a long and happy retirement at McManus' Martinstown Stud, celebrating his 32nd birthday in May.
An icon never to be forgotten ❤️
The legendary Istabraq has passed away at the age of 32.
He really was special 🙌
pic.twitter.com/rUloAGJbpT— The Jockey Club (@TheJockeyClub) July 25, 2024
Offering up his own tribute to the horse, O'Brien said, “Istabraq was obviously the horse of a lifetime for us, one of those very rare horses that only come along once.
“He was very lucky to be owned by JP and Noreen [McManus] and ridden by Charlie [Swan]–and a lot of people looked after him. Tommy Murphy was the assistant at Ballydoyle before we came and then he stayed on with us and he did a lot of work with him.
“He was a great horse for us and a big part of our family. When the little ones were small, he would have been right at the height of his powers, so for everyone he was a massive part of our lives at that time.”
Istabraq was bought on the recommendation of John Durkan, who knew him better than most, having been Gosden's assistant, and was due to train him for his jumping career.
Sadly, Durkan was later diagnosed with leukaemia and O'Brien was entrusted to train the gelding in his absence. Durkan died just days before Istabraq won his first Irish Champion Hurdle in January 1998.
“We were just moving to Ballydoyle and JP bought Istabraq for John Durkan to train. John gave him to Timmy Hyde and when he had him ready, he sent him to Ballydoyle. We were supposed to have him for a year while John was having treatment for leukaemia and unfortunately John passed away,” said O'Brien.
“He was an incredible horse really. I suppose what made him unusual is that he was trained on the Flat before he came to us, so he had the mind of a Flat horse and was full of nervous energy, but he had a lot of ability and an unbelievable cruise.
“He was an incredible jumper, I think that's what made him very different. Charlie always said he used to take off two strides before any other horse and landed on his back legs, which is very unusual as that meant he got away from his hurdles much quicker.
“I suppose the one that stuck out for us really was his first Champion Hurdle. That was his first time dropping back to two miles in a Champion Hurdle, but every one of his wins was very special.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
