Istabraq: somehow you just knew it was too perfect. A great horse enjoys a flawless preparation in his attempt to make history and just when all the hard work is done, disaster strikes at the 11th hour.
Maybe it will all come to nothing and when Aidan O'Brien inspects Istabraq's nostril this morning, he will say in that quiet way of his: 'What was all the fuss about?'
But for the moment, Istabraq, the 1 to 3 favourite to become only the fifth horse to win three Smurfit Champion Hurdles in a row is flirting with disaster. The carefully worded statement from Ballydoyle last night read: 'Istabraq arrived safely and without incident this morning. After he had settled in, the head lad noticed a trickle of blood coming from his left nostril. Aidan O'Brien will inspect Istabraq early in the morning after which a decision will be made as to whether or not the horse will take his chance in the Champion Hurdle.'
It could just be that Istabraq has been rather more stressed than predicted by being jetted to Cheltenham a day in advance of the big race. On his last three Festival visits he has been flown over to England and back on the same day. Or maybe he is so well that he just exuberantly knocked himself.
Whatever the case, a source close to the Ballydoyle camp seemed unperturbed by the incident last night and said that there is little question of the horse not running.
Should he get the go ahead, he is set to become just the second Irish horse to complete the treble today, a fact acknowledged by the man who poses the biggest threat to Istabraq's bid for glory. Dermot Weld, who runs the Michael Smurfit-owned novice Stage Affair, is under no illusions about the task facing his six-year-old. 'As a realist, I think it's illogical to expect Stage Affair to beat Istabraq,' said Weld yesterday before news of the dual champion's mishap hit Cheltenham like a bombshell. 'Istabraq is the best hurdler I've ever seen, a hell of a horse who has proved himself a great champion.'
The Curragh trainer added that the decision to tackle Istabraq was influenced by a number of considerations, including Tony McCoy's availability and the Smurfit's sponsorship of the race but also the desire for Stage Affair to learn.
'He is far from the finished article, both physically and technically, and we feel he will learn more in the Champion Hurdle. If he does that he will be a serious challenger to Istabraq next year. But while everyone expects Istabraq to win, if you take that to its logical conclusion then he should get a walkover. And a lot can happen in racing, so you never know,' added Weld.
Up until last night's late scare, O'Brien was happy with the horse's preparation and condition. 'Every single horse in the race is a potential danger and he also has to get there in one piece. So far, so good but you never know what will happen,' he said, not realising hours later his horse would be fighting for his place in today's line-up.
O'Brien's other perennial Champion Hurdle runner is Theatreworld, who could set his own remarkable record by finishing runner-up in the race for four successive years.
As a five-year-old, the other Irish runner Balla Sola faces a difficult task but did beat Theatreworld at Gowran last time out. The best of the home team appears to be Dato Star, who has won at the Festival before but whose chance seems to be evaporating with every drop of moisture that leaves the drying track. 'If it had been very soft it would hinder some of the others and that would be in his favour,' said his trainer Malcolm Jefferson. But it's hard to get away from Istabraq's quality. The professionals almost unanimously think he'll win, the bookmakers all think he'll win and now it's up to the horse. Don't expect Istabraq to disappoint.
