ISTABRAQ VIRTUAL CHAMPION Foot-and-mouth may have robbed racing fans of the Champion Hurdle, which was due to take place at Cheltenham this afternoon, but Istabraq was hailed the virtual winner of the hurdling crown today by the Racing Post.The British newspaper ran a simulated version of the race based on a computer analysis of the form and not surprisingly Aidan O`Brien`s superstar jumper came out best of the bunch.The winner returned 1/3f while Moscow Flyer chased him home at 14/1 with Hors La Loi III third at 10/1.Dublin bookmakers Paddy Powers decided to honour ante-post bets on the result of the simulated race and faced a big payout on the result with Moscow Flyer particularly popular each-way and without Istabraq.
