Was Istabraq the only great champion Aidan O'Brien has ever trained? It's the question to separate a true anorak from the crowd
Istabraq's death last month at the age of 32 brought to mind what might be an exam question for budding racing anoraks: “Istabraq is the only great champion Aidan O'Brien has ever trained. Discuss.”
“Great” is the most overused word in the racing lexicon, routinely used by hype merchants, especially on TV, to describe anything half a per cent above average, but Istabraq was clearly a great champion, the winner of three Champion Hurdles and the top-rated hurdler (181) since Racing Post Ratings were created in 1988.
Since then O'Brien has become the dominant Flat trainer in Europe, with a world record of more than 400 Group/Grade 1 wins, including 104 Classics.
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