30th birthday party for jumps legend Istabraq
- Tom Reed
- 24 May 2022
Istabraq has reached the ripe old age of 30 and the great and the good of racing, including AP McCoy and JP McManus were there to celebrate the milestone.
Living legend of a hurdler Istabraq celebrated his 30th birthday.
The winner of three Champion Hurdles on the trot and four successive Irish Champion Hurdles hit the milestone on Monday
After leaving Aidan O'Brien, Istabraq was retired to Martinstown, the Cork stud of owner JP McManus.
Lara Hegarty looks after the old legend and invited McManus and Sir Anthony McCoy to the party.
"I'm mad about him so for the past couple of weeks I've been getting stuff online, I've got a banner and a cake and he's got a new rug with '30th birthday' written on the side of it. He's spoilt rotten, but he deserves every bit of it," she said.
"I know he's a massive profile and he's won so much but it's just nice to see the other side of him as well, he's just his usual cheeky self.
"He's retired now and he's spoilt rotten in his retirement, he gets the best of everything and it's nice to see that side of him as well as Istabraq the champion hurdler.
"He's so well cared for and it's so nice to see him enjoying it because he deserves it."
"He gets the best of everything, if there's anything he needs he will get it. He goes out in the field all day with Gilgamboa, they potter around in the field then he comes in and gets his groom and his carrot and goes into his bed for the night," said Hegarty.
"People probably think because he's 30 he just strolls about the place, but he's so lively in himself.
"When he comes in he might decide he wants to head down for a carrot and he will take you the whole way down to the feed room and he will wait for his carrot. You can't stop him!
"He's very clever, when we get new horses in the barn he knows, and he'll drag you over because he has to say hello. Then he goes on to the next horse and you could be there for 10 minutes while he goes and says hello to each horse and then he messes and starts pulling their headcollars off."
