'He was a mystical character' - Aidan O'Brien's glowing tribute after death of legendary Champion Hurdle hero Istabraq

Aidan O'Brien has described Istabraq as an "almost mystical character" for the legacy he left after one of modern jump racing's most iconic equine superstars died at JP McManus's Martinstown home at 32 years of age.

The hugely popular ex-Flat horse was trained by O'Brien to win three Champion Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival between 1998 and 2000, having also won the old Royal SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle there in 1997. Only two months ago, on his birthday, May 23, he was pictured at the centre of a large gathering of his doting connections, with McManus, O'Brien and Charlie Swan, synonymous with the son of Sadler's Wells throughout his jumps career, all in attendance.

The legendary Istabraq pictured during his 32nd birthday celebrations in May

In a short statement issued 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. 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."

Owner JP McManus with pride and joy Istabraq at his Martinstown Stud in 2010Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Only four other horses have won the Champion Hurdle three times, and Istabraq's chance to become the single most successful horse in the history of the race was cruelly thwarted by the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001, which caused the Cotswolds gala to be cancelled.

However, his place in the pantheon of all-time greats is secure. Sporting McManus's famous green and gold hooped silks, Istabraq and Swan became one of jump racing's most revered standing dishes of the late 20th century, with their 12-length evisceration of stablemate Theatreworld in the 1998 Champion Hurdle a signature performance that marked him out as a truly rare talent. Apart from their four victories at Cheltenham, the legendary partnership also combined to plunder four Irish Champion Hurdles, an Aintree Hurdle and two Hatton's Grace Hurdles.

Istabraq and Charlie Swan jump the last on their way to winning the 1998 Champion HurdleCredit: Pat Healy

In all, they combined for 14 Grade 1 successes and won 23 of their 29 outings together over hurdles, with Istabraq indisputably becoming that rare thing for racehorses these days – a household name. Retired after being pulled up early in the 2002 Champion Hurdle, he had spent his remaining days at Martinstown.

Aidan O'Brien and Istabraq at BallydoyleCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Speaking on Thursday morning, O'Brien, who described that mind-blowing first Champion Hurdle display as "unbelievable", spoke glowingly of the horse who catapulted him into the big time.

"He was an incredible horse and he was very lucky that he was owned by JP and Noreen, and to be ridden by Charlie. For us, he was a horse of a lifetime and he was like one of the family here because our lads were tiny at the time so he was part of the family," he said.

"We were down there for his birthday and it was incredible to see him. He was treated like an absolute God through every part of his life really and he seemed super that day. The amount of letters and the visitors and everything. People who are at the coal face in racing now, when they were growing up Istabraq was in his prime, so you would still hear people talking about him. He was kind of an almost mystical character really and it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing to get a horse like him."

Jockey Charlie Swan looks round for non-existent dangers as Istabraq wins the Champion Hurdle for the second year running in March 1999Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Having won two of his 11 starts on the Flat for John Gosden and owner-breeder Hamdan Al Maktoum, Istabraq was sourced as a four-year-old by Timmy Hyde and his son-in-law John Durkan, who had been working for Gosden but tragically died in January 1998 after being struck down with leukaemia just months after acquiring the horse as he assembled a team to begin his own training career. Durkan was in O'Brien's thoughts when he heard the news of Istabraq's death.

"We also have to remember John – it was well known that we were kind of looking after him for John. JP and Noreen bought him for John to train," he recalled.

Charlie Swan and Istabraq are led in after winning the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival 2000Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Of Istabraq, he added: "He taught us so much. He was our first real top horse and he was a massive help to us, because JP and Noreen owned him and JP would have been close to Dr [Vincent] O'Brien. And Tommy Murphy [former champion jockey who worked for both Vincent and Aidan at Ballydoyle] was here at the time, and he'd have known Ballydoyle very well, so they would have taught us a lot about Ballydoyle and about the horse. People forget, he was in training from the time he was a yearling, and he raced properly as a Flat horse before he switched over."

Remembering Istabraq:

• 'This was a day about one horse and one horse alone' - Alastair Down on Istabraq's unprecedented third Champion Hurdle win 
• There was a magnetism about Istabraq and Charlie Swan that was almost rock and roll in nature 
• 'Istabraq will destroy them' - the prophetic words that prompted JP McManus to go into battle 
• Julian Muscat looks at the all-too-brief life of John Durkan 

Asked what made Istabraq so special, O'Brien said: "What made him different was this nervous energy that he had. It used to enable him to travel and it was part of how athletic he was. He'd cruise along at any speed no matter how fast it was and before a hurdle he would just launch, and, when he was in his prime, he'd always come up way earlier than every other horse and land a lot further away than anything else. He was like a cat.

"He used to nearly always land with his back legs first, which was a very unusual thing. His hind legs hit the ground nearly as quick as his front one, so he'd land and be gone. Charlie used to say that's what made him so different."

Charlie Swan performs a flying dismount following the second of Istabraq's three Champion Hurdle victoriesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Swan, who later poignantly married Durkan's widow Carol, spoke in similar terms, "different" being the word he often reached for to describe his old ally.

"He was a brilliant horse and he was looked after so well from the moment they got him, that's probably why he lived so long. He was an amazing horse," he said of Istabraq.

"His jumping was spectacular. He'd take off where a lot of horses wouldn't. He'd always land running, he just had a great technique. He would make you full of confidence because he was different. It's hard to describe it but he was just so different you'd always ooze confidence on him.

"I remember the very first time I sat on him, it was on the Curragh. He hadn't jumped much but from day one he wouldn't even look at a wing, he just loved it. He was just different to other horses."

'The third Champion Hurdle will always stand out'

He added: "There were so many brilliant moments and JP and Aidan and their families made those moments too, but I suppose the third Champion Hurdle was the one that will always stand out a bit. That was special, and then you had the disappointment of not getting a fourth. I really believed he might do it so it was an anti-climax when it was lost to foot and mouth."

Swan has long played a key role in the success of McManus's operation. He has seen at close quarters the affection those in Martinstown had for Istabraq, and his thoughts on Thursday were particularly with Hegarty, who has cared for the nation's favourite hurdler in recent years.

"JP just loved him and they looked after him so well in Martinstown. I was down there a couple of times recently to see him, we'd often go over there to see him," he said. "Lara used to look after him so well. They all did, but she was very close to him so it's hard on her now."

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