Aidan O'Brien recalls golden days with 'mythical character' Istabraq

A quarter of a century on from his third Champion Hurdle triumph, Istabraq remains one of the most beloved National Hunt horses of all time

REMEMBERING A LEGEND: Charlie Swan, ASJI president Paul Lennon, JP McManus, Flutter UK and Ireland’s Rachael Kane, and Aidan O'Brien at the Cashel Palace Hotel last Friday where the achievements of three-time Champion Hurdle hero Istabraq were honoured. Picture: James Crombie/Inpho

Just how long, exactly, is a generation? Twenty, 25, 30 years? Last Friday was sobering, sitting in a grand room in Cashel Palace, surrounded by the luminaries of Irish racing, as the Association of Sports’ Journalists of Ireland (ASJI) honoured the achievements of the great Istabraq, whose third Champion Hurdle success was all of 25 years ago.

Frighteningly, that was my era. The most impressionable time of this then-young life, and Istabraq and all those he rose to battle with and against had an impact I suspect the younger generation would struggle to understand.