Charlie Swan was the top National Hunt jockey in Ireland in the 1990s. He will always be associated with the great Istabraq, on whom he won 3 Champion Hurdles. He was twice top jockey at the Cheltenham Festival and was champion National Hunt jockey in Ireland for 10 consecutive years. He is now a trainer, based in his home village of Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary. National Hunt racing is the name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland where the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences (except in the case of a bumper). The core of the National Hunt season is over the winter... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Champion Hurdle is a United Kingdom National Hunt horse race for four-year-old and above horses run over a distance of 2 miles 110 yards at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. ... The Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom and has race prize money second only to the Grand National. ... Cloughjordan (Cloch Shiurdáin in Irish, meaning Jordans Stone), in North Tipperary, Ireland is situated in the north-west part of North Tipperary close to the Offaly border. ... County Tipperary (Tiobraid Árann in Irish) is a traditional county in the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster. ...

Born on January 20, 1968, first and only son to Donald Swan, a former British Army Captain, and his wife Teresa. Charlie was named after an ancestor who was the surgeon to the British King 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'. He rode his first winner as a baby faced fifteen year old on his father’s Final Assault in a two year old maiden at Naas in March 1983, and after a successful spell as an apprentice he later turned his attention to the National Hunt scene. He won his first Irish jockeys' championship in 1988/9 and retained the title up to and including the 1997/8 season. He was only deposed as champion Irish rider after deciding to concentrate on his training career. Swan holds the Irish records for the most winners in a season and the most in a calendar year. January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... For the U.S. politician, see Charles E. Stuart Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis Philip Casimir Stuart (December 31, 1720 – January 31, 1788), was the exiled claimant to the thrones of Ireland, commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Charles was the son of James Francis Edward Stuart, the... National Hunt racing is the name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland where the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences (except in the case of a bumper). The core of the National Hunt season is over the winter...

Away from Cheltenham, numerous big-race winners have come his way, including Ebony Jane in the Irish Grand National and the Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown Park on Ushers Island and Life Of A Lord. Cheltenham Racecourse is located in Cheltenham, England. ... The Irish Grand National is an annual horse racing event which takes place in Fairyhouse Racecourse, Ratoath, north of Dublin City. ... Sandown Park is a racecourse and leisure venue in Surrey, England, in the outer suburbs of London. ...

Cheltenham

Charlie's first Cheltenham festival winner was Trapper John in the Stayers Hurlde in 1990. He was twice leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival, 1993 and 1994. He will always be associated with Istabraq, who won at the festival 4 years in a row, but other memorable wins were Danoli's Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle and Vivking Flagship's Champion Chase. Shown within Gloucestershire Geography Status: Borough Region: South West England Admin. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Cheltenham Victories

1990 Stayers Hurdle Trapper John
1993 Supreme Novices Hurdle Montelado
1993 Stakis Final Fissure Seal
1993 Triumph Hurdle Shawiya
1993 Stayers Hurdle Shuil Ar Aghaidh
1994 Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle Danoli
1994 Coral Cup Time For A Run
1994 Champion Bumper Mucklemeg
1995 Queen Mother Champion Chase Viking Flagship
1996 Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle Urubande
1997 Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle Istabraq
1998 Champion Hurdle Istabraq
1999 Champion Hurdle Istabraq
2000 Champion Hurdle Istabraq
2000 Champion Bumper Joe Cullen
2002 Supreme Novices Hurdle Like-A-Butterfly
2002 Triumph Hurdle Scolardy

Istabraq

He will be forever associated with the legendary gelding Istabraq who he rode to victory 23 times over hurdles including three consecutive renewals of the Champion Hurdle (1998 to 2000), four Irish Champion Hurdles (1998-2001) and big races wins at Aintree, Leopardstown and Punchestown. He won the 1997 Royal and Sun Alliance Hurdle when sent off a 6/5 fav. Istabraq sweated up badly before the race and Charlie rode a masterful race, getting him settled at the very back of a large field, then resisting the urge to make up ground going uphill before battling to victory by a length. In 1998 it was more straight-forward as Istabraq won the Champion Hurdle going right away up the hill to win by 12 lengths. He confirmed his superiority by winning again in 1999 and 2000, and looked set to make it 4 in a row, until the Foot and Mouth outbreak caused the 2001 festival to be abandoned. Despite just one unconvincing run and plenty of rumours about Istabraq's fitness before Cheltenham, there was a still late flood of money for the great horse in 2002 . But Istabraq was never right and Charlie had to pull him up in front of the stands. Nevertheless, both horse and rider were given a tremendous ovation by the crowd. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Aintree Racecourse is a British horse racing venue in Aintree, near Liverpool, on Merseyside. ... // Heading for the start with Wicklow Mountains in background Leopardstown Racecourse ( ) is one of Europes premier racing venues. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), sometimes called hoof-and-mouth disease, is a highly contagious but non-fatal viral disease of cattle and pigs. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trainer

Based in Cloughjordan, Charlie Swan took out a trainers licence in 1998, taking over from his father, Donald Swan. He operated as both jockey and trainer for a few years until having his final ride on Aintree Grand National Day in April 2003. In the last eight seasons or so, he has managed to notch up nearly 270 winners as a trainer. Cloughjordan (Cloch Shiurdáin in Irish, meaning Jordans Stone), in North Tipperary, Ireland is situated in the north-west part of North Tipperary close to the Offaly border. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Grand National is the most valuable National Hunt handicap horse race in the United Kingdom. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Big successes have included This Is Serious (2001 Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park and 2002 Tote Eider Chase at Newcastle), No Discount (second in the 2000 Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham), Anxious Moment (2002 Powers Gold Label Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse and 2003 Craddockstown Novice Chase at Punchestown), Ground Ball (2005 Dan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse), What A Native (four straight victories in 2005/6 including the Porterstown Chase at Fairyhouse and the Pierse Leopardstown Chase). Gowran is a small town in County Kilkenny. ... Fairyhouse racecourse is one of Irelands premier horse racing venues. ... Leopardstown is a suburban district in Dublin 18, Ireland at the foot of the Dublin mountains. ...