Istrabraq, who won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival three years running, in 1998, 1999 and 2000, is one of just a handful of horses – the others being Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War and See You Then – to have won the two-mile hurdling championship three times. Indeed, in 2001, he was odds-on ante post favourite to win the Champion Hurdle for an unprecedented fourth time when the Cheltenham Festival was cancelled, in its entirety, due to a local outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. He did return to Prestbury Park, as a ten-year-old, in 2002, but his bid to make history ended in disappointment. Sent off 2/1 favourite, he lost his action jumping the first flight of hurdles and was pulled up after jumping the second, having suffered a tendon injury.

Nevertheless, having previously won the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle in 1997, he had already become the first horse since Persian War, in 1970, to win at four consecutive Cheltenham Festivals. He was awarded a Timeform Annual Rating of 180, making him the second-highest rated hurdler since the early Sixties, alongside Monksfield and behind only Night Nurse, who was rated 182.

Initially owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, Istabraq was acquired by leading National Hunt owner John Patrick ‘J.P.’ McManus, for 38,000 guineas, in 1996 and transferred to Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle, Co. Tipperary when his intended trainer, John Durkan, was diagnosed with leukemia. Istabraq was supposed to return to Durkan on his recovery but, tragically, his condition deteriorated and he died two years later. All told, between November, 1996 and March, 2002, Istabraq, who was ridden exclusively by Charlie Swan, made 29 starts over hurdles, winning 23 times and earning £1.04 million in total prize money.

Istabraq winning his first of three Champion Hurdles

Not to be confused with his Irish-bred namesake, foaled on February 17, 2018, the original, American-bred Gorytus, foaled on February 7, 1980, was a top class juvenile in 1982. Indeed, at the end of his two-year-old campaign, he was awarded a Timeform rating of 132, despite an inexplicably frightful performance in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on his final start.

Bred and owned by Alice du Pont Mills and trained by Major William Richard ‘Dick’ Hern in West Isley, Berkshire, Gorytus raced just three times as a juvenile, but made an immediate impact. The son of Nijinsky made his racecourse debut in the Acomb Stakes, over 7 furlongs, at York long before its elevation to Listed status, but nonetheless won easily, by 7 lengths, and smashed the juvenile track record in the process. After another facile, 5-length win in the Group Two Champagne Stakes, also over 7 furlongs, at Doncaster the following month, Gorytus was installed as ante-post favourite for both the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby.

On his final start of the season, Gorytus faced just three rivals in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes, again over 7 furlongs, at Newmarket and was duly sent off at odds of 1/2 in what effectively appeared to be a match with Middle Park Stakes-winner, Diesis, trained by Henry Cecil. However, Gorytus was in trouble soon after halfway, quickly weakening out of contention and eventually trailing in 37 lengths behind the winner, Diesis.

Although no conclusive explanation was ever found for the poor performance, the general concensus was that Gorytus had been the victim of foul play. In any event, Gorytus was never the same horse again; he finished unplaced in the 2,000 Guineas, for which he started second favourite, missed the Derby because of unseasonably soft ground and never won again, including when transferred to respected US trainer Woody Stephens as a four-year-old.

Gorytus wins the 1982 Champagne Stakes, in the process becoming favourite for the 2000 Guineas