- Istabraq was bought by McManus for £38,000 and then trained by Aidan O’Brien.
- The horse was retired after suffering a minor injury in the 2002 Champion Hurdle.
Istabraq, the greatest horse ever to jump fences and an iconic figure in racing, has died at the home of his owner JP McManus. He has reached the remarkable age of 32.
Istabraq started out on flat ground when trained by John Gosden but was bought for £38,000 by McManus and entered training with Aidan O’Brien, who forged a career for the gelding in the National Hunt sphere that almost defied belief.
The pinnacle of his achievements was four consecutive victories at the Cheltenham Festival, beginning with the 1997 Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle before recording three spectacular victories in the Champion Hurdle from 1998 to 2000.
Only the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001, which led to the suspension of the Festival, prevented Istabraq from becoming the only horse to win the most prestigious hurdle event for four consecutive years.
His jockey Charlie Swan, who rode Istabraq in all 29 of his steeplechase races, winning 23 (14 of which were Grade One events), told Mail Sport for a feature article in March that he was convinced he would have made history in 2001 as there was no other horse like him.
Istabraq pictured with jockey Charlie Swan jumping the final fence on his way to his third consecutive Cheltenham win
The horse pictured after winning his third race at Cheltenham in 2000. He passed away today aged 32.
His former owner McManus (pictured at Cheltenham in March) said: “He was a very special horse who gave us many wonderful days of fun and enjoyment.”
Istabraq was retired after suffering a minor injury in the 2002 Champion Hurdle and has spent the last 22 years at McManus’ 610-acre stable in County Limerick, where he was bred.
If McManus had been on a business trip, the first thing he would do upon his return, no matter what time of day, would be to go see his old friend.
Many famous faces came to visit Istabraq, whose 32nd birthday in May was celebrated by his stable girl Lara Hegarty baking a special cake for him made from carrots, apples and horse feed, at his retreat, including golfers Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry, as well as actor Bill Murray.
Because Istabraq was one of those special horses who transcended not only the racing section of a newspaper but was able to reach the top of the television news bulletins.
Such was the deep feeling towards him in Ireland that he was immortalised in Europe’s largest equine painting, which hangs in Terminal 2 of Dublin Airport.
Paying tribute to Istabraq, who fell asleep for the last time at 1.15am on Thursday morning, McManus said: “He was a very special horse who gave us many wonderful days of fun and enjoyment.
The pinnacle of his achievements was four consecutive victories at the Cheltenham Festival.
Bill Murray (pictured in June) was one of many celebrities who came to visit Istanbul.
Golfer Padraig Harrington (pictured at yesterday’s Senior Open) also visited the horse.
‘Our thanks to Lara Hegarty, Johnny O’Brien and all the staff at Martinstown who looked after him so fantastically for many years.
‘We are glad to have given him a good celebration for his most recent birthday in May.
“He leaves (my wife) Noreen, me and the family with wonderful memories.”
