Istabraq soaks up the attention at 30th birthday celebrations

The legendary hurdler is more spritely than one might expect of a horse of advancing years.

Birthday boy Istabraq with JP and Noreen McManus at Martinstown on Monday. 

Beloved hurdler Istabraq enjoyed his very own birthday party on reaching the ripe age of 30 on Monday.

The Sadler's Wells gelding is an all-time great of the hurdling division, a 25-time winner whose three consecutive Champion Hurdles and four successive Irish Champion Hurdles are the stuff of folklore among sworn-in racing fans and casual onlookers alike.