Istabraq's Sun Alliance Hurdle victory

Desperation can make a punter do ridiculous things, but logic and common sense seemed to go out the window before the first race of the second day of this year's Cheltenham festival - 6 to 5 about a horse in any race is short, but the Sun Alliance Hurdle?

Thankfully, a horse called Istabraq and a champion called Charlie Swan ignored that desperation and produced possibly the most dramatic display of talent and nerve in 1997.

The Irish hadn't expected a blank first day but they got it. They did expect an Istabraq win but the horse seemed determined to foil them by letting the preliminaries get to him. By the time Swan had taken him down to the start he didn't so much look a hot 6 to 5 favourite but the hot beastie that had carried Paul Revere through the night.

Swan, even with owner JP McManus's money on, then took the decision to give Istabraq a chance to recover in the the race. In fact it looked as if Swan and Istabraq were ignoring the others as they sauntered along in last for the first mile. It was a manoeuvre that proved the wonderful nerve and confidence of Swan who only then asked his brilliant but apparently brittle partner to improve. But just as they were preparing to pounce, a hefty bump from a competitor at the second last obstacle seemed to have doomed them.

Surely Istabraq couldn't repel the latest blow and win. But he did. And he did it by proving he has courage as well as brilliance, returning to the sort of reception that spoke of bank accounts saved from heavy withdrawals, but also genuine admiration for his newly-proved qualities. The combination could lead him to even greater glory in the 1998 Champion Hurdle.