'I was lucky to ride a horse like him' - Noel Fehily picks his top five horses

Celibate
He was a good two-mile chaser. I had only just arrived in England and I was lucky to ride a horse like him. He carried top weight in a lot of the good handicap chases and was a great horse to get to ride on Saturdays. He wasn't the biggest but he could jump, and I ended up riding him to finish sixth in a Grand National.

Rock On Ruby
Similar to Celibate, Rock On Ruby came along at a good time when I really needed it. I had missed the two previous Cheltenham Festivals through injury and he went and won the Champion Hurdle, going on to finish second again the following year. He wouldn't know how to run a bad race, he was quick and would give 110 per cent every time. He was a wonderful horse.

Silviniaco Conti
Silviniaco Conti was a fabulous horse. He gave me some great days, winning two King Georges, Aintree Bowls and Betfair Chases. I think in his second King George in 2014 was when he really peaked. He jumped and he galloped and it was a massive display. He won seven Grade 1s and you don't realise how good these horses are until they're gone.

Silviniaco Conti: peaked when winning the 2014 King George says Noel FehilyCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Istabraq
I never had anything to do with him but Istabraq was amazing to watch, he was a brilliant horse. To win three Champion Hurdles and a Royal Sunalliance Novices' Hurdle was incredible. The day he won that Royal Sunalliance was the win I enjoyed most. Charlie Swan gave him a great ride, he dropped him in and then ran through horses. That's when I sat up and thought 'woah, this is something special'. He was all class.

AltiorI won his first three novice chases on him. I don't think he has shown how good he is on a racecourse yet. Even when he won the Arkle, people say he wasn't travelling that well – or even in the Champion Chase this year – but as soon as Nico properly shook him up he responded. He's a very intelligent horse and is very good over fences, and is good on his feet. He's learned not to overrace now and could be tried at any trip – the first time I schooled him I knew he was a bit different.

First published November 3, 2018

Get ahead of the game with Get Your Eye In - exclusive Saturday preview content on racingpost.com and the Racing Post mobile app from 2pm on Friday