Although the 10-year-old did not follow the traditional path to glory of Ireland’s jumping heroes, there is no disputing the reverence in which he is held by his legion of fans.

Despite failing just last week to go on to make it four victories in hurdling’s blue riband and five successive Cheltenham Festival triumphs his standing remains undiminished.

Unlike Arkle and Dawn Run, who progressed from humble beginnings to become racing superstars, Istabraq was born to be a champion.

A son of one of the world’s top stallions, Sadler’s Wells, he is a half-brother to the 1984 Derby winner Secreto and was therefore bred with Classic success in mind.

Bought as a yearling by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, there was disappointment when Istabraq failed to graduate from the handicap ranks as a three-year-old penchant for hurdling despite finishing second on his debut, and he rounded off a superb first season over timber by winning the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle at Cheltenham.

It quickly became clear that he was potentially one of the top hurdlers around with victory in the1997 Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle, and that was emphatically proved when Istabraq ran away with the following season’s Smurfit Champion Hurdle.

He went through the following campaign unbeaten, with his second Champion victory achieved in similarly emphatic style to his first but things did not go quite as smoothly in 1999-2000.

Despite a surprise early-season defeat by Limestone Lad, Istabraq arrived at Cheltenham as a red-hot favourite to become the first horse since See You Then in 1987 to win the Champion Hurdle three times.

However, connections were given an almighty scare on the eve of the race when Istabraq was found to be bleeding from the nose, and it was not until three hours before the race that he was given the go-ahead.

As the field turned for home, the result was unusually still in doubt.

But to the delight of the huge Irish presence in the crowd, Istabraq was pushed out to victory by jockey Charlie Swan, who admits the horse is the only reason why he has not retired from riding.

Swan, 34, has ridden Istabraq in all his 29 starts over hurdles, of which the son of Sadler’s Wells has won 23.

Istabraq’s chances of a fourth Champion Hurdle success last March - he was hot favourite to do so - were thwarted by the intervention of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Istabraq raced only three times last season.

He fell at Leopardstown over Christmas and after winning his fourth AIG Europe Champion Hurdle on his second outing, he once again came a cropper at the last when having the Shell Champion Hurdle at the Dublin track in April at his mercy.

It was a nasty-looking fall and the racing world held its breath before the horse, generally regarded as the best hurdler in the last 20 years, rose to his feet after a few seconds with a relieved Swan remarking at the time that ‘‘he must be made of rubber’’.

In total Istabraq won £1,035,440 (€1,678,000) in win and place money.