In the presence of Greatness
The legendary ISTABRAQ is as magical as ever aged 32
IN a barn on a farm, a black-and-white cat called Ninja prowls about mischievously and doing his best — but failing — to capture everyone’s gaze.
So, too, is a strapping bay horse affectionately known as ‘Gil’. He is used to camera crews arriving in his stables but, occasionally, he would like people to focus on him, so he scrapes his hooves impatiently on the floor. A couple of carrots and a rub of the neck later and all is good again.
Gil (short for Gilgamboa) knows his place in the pecking order and he also knows why we are here, at JP McManus’s picture-perfect Martinstown Stud in County Limerick. In the box opposite, the horse who had a cat’s stealth, a lion’s heart and was the greatest to jump a hurdle is being photographed.
Istabraq, you see, always was the centre of attention. And even now — at the astonishing old age of 32
— he still is.
LEGENDS in sport come in all shapes and sizes but there is no question the animal that stands in front of us deserves that tag. He did extraordinary things on a racecourse and it is always around this time of year, when the wonder of Cheltenham draws near, that your mind drifts back to his exploits.
Istabraq, for a glorious spell around the turn of the century, effectively was Cheltenham. There were four consecutive victories at the Festival, one in the Royal & Sun Alliance Novice’s Hurdle (1997) before a fabulous hat- trick in the Champion Hurdle (1998-2000).
‘It’s like seeing an old friend when I walk into his stable... he still looks amazing, doesn’t he?’ says Charlie Swan, the man who rode him in all 29 of his hurdle races, winning an incredible 23 — 14 of which were at Grade One level — and plundering more than £1million in prize money.
There is more to this, however, than numbers. Istabraq, in those green and gold colours of his owner, became the pride of Ireland; his legacy is such he became the subject of europe’s biggest equine painting (13ft by 10ft) which adorns a wall in dublin airport and took two years to complete.
This is no ordinary horse and this is no ordinary tale, as for all the happiness, there was a tragic subplot around a bright, young man and former jockey called John durkan, whose belief in Istabraq was unshakable and advised McManus he should buy
him for £38,000 from Flat trainer John Gosden.
The intention was for durkan to train Istabraq in Newmarket but when he fell ill towards the end of 1996, he advised McManus to send him to then up-and-coming trainer Aidan O’Brien. durkan succumbed to leukaemia in January 1998. He was just 31.
O’Brien, though, ensured durkan’s legacy lived on through the relentless galloping and spring-heeled leaping that made Istabraq as popular in the United Kingdom as it did across the Irish Sea. You can see the joy in Swan’s eyes as he begins to think back.
‘The first day I schooled, I knew he was different,’ says Swan, who was Ireland’s champion jump
jockey on nine occasions. ‘He just loved to jump. Most horses, when you are teaching them, have a look around. Not him. He just took off. From day one, he had this great technique.
‘even when he got in close to a hurdle, he’d land running. He was so very fast. Aidan is a master trainer. His jumping made him quick. He had stamina plus he was quick and that made him so formidable. He was unbelievable, just so easy to ride.’
When they won their first Champion Hurdle, in 1998, the pair bounded up Cheltenham’s hill like a bullet from a gun. It became a recurring theme but the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which forced the Festival
to be cancelled in 2001, stopped them winning four on the trot.
In this of all weeks, his story has been given new sheen. Constitution Hill — touted as having the potential to go to a realm that fate prevented Istabraq from reaching — might be denied his shot at history, with illness threatening his participation in this year’s race.
‘He’d have won in 2001,’ says Swan. ‘He was in such good form.’ Istabraq did try to make history 12 months later but he dropped through the field after two flights and Swan pulled him up.
everyone knew it would mean retirement and, as such, a spontaneous, emotional ovation swept around the course. ‘Usually people boo if you pull up a favourite but the reception was incredible,’ recalls Swan, now 56. ‘Walking back down the chute, everyone was there showing their appreciation. JP liked that everyone took him on board. When you own a good horse, you want everyone to enjoy them.’
McMANUS should be assured that has absolutely been the case. Istabraq now spends his days in the most luxurious retirement home imaginable, a haven that rolls over 610 acres with perfectly manicured paddocks and staff who take on tasks as a vocation rather than a job.
Aside from Istabraq and his best friend Gilgamboa, don’t Push It and Minella Times — McManus’s two winners of the Randox Grand National — and Jezki, More Of That, Binocular and defi du Seuil — all of whom were Cheltenham heroes — are here too.
Johnny O’Brien, who has been head lad at Martinstown since 1998, gives a guided tour and it is clear to see why Swan says the residents ‘are treated like kings’ as they want for nothing. everyone knows, nonetheless, who is the star of the show. ‘He’s just a proper character,’ says Lara Hegarty, who has looked after Istabraq for the last seven years. ‘He is getting old but there is so much life in “Braq”, as we call him. He’ll take off if you leave his stable door open. He’s like a child and will throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get his way.’ To prove this point, Istabraq nudges his way past Lara and tries to make for daylight.
‘He walks you, rather than the other way round!’ she adds. ‘You have to take him out for a good length of time. When he goes out into his field, he’ll find the muddiest place and roll around in it. every single day, you’ll see him — absolutely filthy. Then he’ll come in and demolish his grub.
‘I was honoured when I got this job. If I hadn’t got it, I’d probably have never seen him. He’s been my life for the last seven years. I’ll come into his stables and talk to him, he listens to what’s on my mind. I understand why, when people come to see him, they get so emotional.’
Famous visitors include golfers Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Paul McGinley, while emmy-award winner Bill Murray has also called in. It is 22 years since this old chap last set foot on a racecourse but fan mail continues to arrive.
His real 32nd birthday is May 23 and, for the big event, Lara has plans to make Istabraq his own cake, full of horse feed, apples and carrots, with something more sweet and suitable for the rest of the staff. It is a day that should be celebrated.
‘There will never be another like him,’ O’Brien says, quietly and powerfully. ‘He’s made of iron.’ And he also made memories that will last for ever more.