Istabraq's season really starts now. After winning a £50,000 Grade One, that may seem an odd statement but if the Champion Hurdle favourite looks into Aidan O'Brien's eyes this morning, he may get some inkling of the hard work he will be putting in between now and St Patrick's Day.
"Up to now, he has been having a good time and enjoying himself, but the plan has been to train him for one race. The real preparation starts now," a smiling O'Brien said after Istabraq made hard work of beating the outstanding novice, His Song, in yesterday's AIG Europe Champion Hurdle.
It appeared such hard work that some bookmakers slightly lengthened Istabraq's Cheltenham odds, but O'Brien and Charlie Swan had the unconcerned air of men who know the best is yet to come.
They weren't alone. Having only his fourth race over flights, His Song ran a race so loaded with potential that he may well end up the Irish banker of the Cheltenham festival in the Citreon Supreme Novices' Hurdle, for which he is now as low as 3 to 1 favourite.
"He is some machine," said a thrilled Mouse Morris, who added: "I told Richard (Hughes) not to be too hard on him, and he will have learned a lot from jumping quickly against good horses."
Nevertheless, it would have been a major surprise if Istabraq, on whom Swan wore a black armband in memory of John Durkan, had not won. There were some anxious moments, however, especially at the fourth last, where the 4 to 11 favourite made a bad error.
"He nearly fell," said Swan. "We got our wires crossed and it was a bit of a fright." For odds-on backers, another panicky period came when Istabraq took his time to shake off His Song, but ultimately he won snugly.
"Last season he jumped the best at Cheltenham and, with a real pace, hopefully it will be the same again. Although he has a nick on his stifle, he's come back in one piece and I have to be happy," O'Brien added.
Of his likely Cheltenham opposition, the Ballydoyle trainer admitted to being impressed by Dato Star's impressive defeat of Collier Bay and Relkeel at Haydock on Saturday but hinted that the front-running Dato Star may be the ideal type to set the fast pace so important to a fully tuned up Istabraq.
Istabraq will need to be fully tuned. Noble Thyne is the only horse to beat Istabraq in his 10starts, but the 25 to 1 shot finished only four and a half lengths off the hotpot despite this being his first race since last July.
"He came in late and we couldn't have run him sooner. We were going to go chasing with him but the owner wanted to come here," said Noble Thyne's trainer Paddy Mullins.
That indicates Istabraq will have to improve to justify his place at the head of the Champion Hurdle market, but the real work begins now to do just that.
O'Brien and Istabraq's owner J P McManus could also go to Cheltenham with a realistic chance in the Triumph Hurdle, as the former Luca Cumani-trained Darapour beat Iron County Xmas in the Waterford Crystal Hurdle, with a distance back to the third.
"He has improved beyond all recognition since his first run here. Charlie gave him a lovely introduction and was kind to him again today," O'Brien said of Darapour, who is now 16 to 1 for the Triumph, four points behind stable companion Rainbow Frontier. Yesterday's favourite, Daybreak Express, was in trouble three out and finished lame.
Swan and O'Brien initiated a treble when Private Peace pounced late and fast to beat Mr Baxter Basics by a head in the Baileys Arkle Cup after the favourite, Magical Lady, crashed at the fourth.
The Festival Bumper is the likely target for yesterday's final two winners. The newcomer Joe Mac accelerated impressively to justify odds of 4 to 9 in the Foxrock Race, while Siberian Gale looked another potent challenger when going right away from Divided Opinion in the Fairhaven Race.
Dardjini was yesterday reported back on course for Cheltenham and has been reinstated as favourite for the Guinness Arkle Trophy. The gelding was removed from William Hill's betting for the race after worries about filling in a fetlock joint forced him to miss an intended run at Leopardstown yesterday. But trainer Noel Meade said yesterday: "We are very hopeful now that he is not going to have to be finished for the season."
