Was Moscow Flyer the best 2mile chaser of last 25 years?

I actually think Azertyuiop and Well Chief would beat most of the horses above too.

In answer to the original question, yes. And not forgetting Kauto Star was also a top 2-miler and would most likely have beaten many of the other contenders, as well might Well Chief and Azertyuiop have done, both of those unfortunate to be immediate contemporaries of the great Moscow. Their era was a golden period for 2-milers. Crisp was good, too, in his time.

moscow was an exceptional chaser but i have to say figures wise, master minded was exceptional on one day i have seen but obviously he didn't back this up many times...

sprinter sacre is a freak of nature and would of beaten the pair and his 2 runs beating sizing 20 lengths then his beating of cue card was exceptional race form imo

out of all though moscow kept coming back for more and the other 2 were very freaky in terms of ability on one said day

Sprinter,never been off bridle over 2 miles.MACHINE

Very difficult to compare horses of different era's. I can recall Paul Nicholls recently say that a horse can only be the best of its time. In terms of both achievement and durability, Moscow is right up there. His record will be very hard to emulate. Sprinter had the ability but not the constitution and I sincerely hope we don't see him on the track again as a shadow of his former self.

Yes! Moscow Flyer was an outstanding chaser and don't forget he was top class over hurdles too. Charlie Swan stated he was the one horse the Istabraq team were ever worried about. A truly great horse who never ducked a challenge and was superbly handled by Jessie Harrington.

2nd or 3rd best . The best is Sprinter Sacre 2nd may have been Kauto

TIMEFORM - Say Sprinter Sacre

H, the monster is the most impressive Arkle winner I have ever seen and it was a very high class affair. His Champion Chase victory was a much simpler task by comparison. If he can evidence durability to match his undoubted talent, then I might be swayed. I sincerely hope to see him back on the track as good as ever but I have serious doubts.....more importantly, so do the bookmakers!

merry xmas one and all

I obviously cannot be impartial. Moscow Flyer is the horse that began my love of this sports. But Sprinter Sacre is on another planet to Moscow on talent levels. Freakish stuff.

Add Pearlyman

26 years

Sprinter Sacre put in performances that were 190 easily. Only Kauto Star's KG performance went close to that.

Great horse Moscow. The top 2 mile chaser for 3 seasons.

Masterminded on his first Queen Mother success was something special.

For me though nothing, nobody would beat an on song Sprinter. Different apples.

Great horse Moscow. The top 2 mile chaser for 3 seasons.

Masterminded on his first Queen Mother success was something special.

For me though nothing, nobody would beat an on song Sprinter. Different apples.

Moscow was a cracking 2 miler, but he'd have to come second on that list. Sprinter Sacre is scarily good. Let's just hope we seem him come back close to what he was.

difficult to split moscow and sprinter sacre,visually always sprinter sacre but moscow would never be labelled the in word machine because he would never beat anything by very far,timmy murphy said all up the straight at cheltenham he thought he would get to moscow on well chief but every time he got close he went on a bit more,two great horses

I always had soft spots for Chiefy (obviously), and Voy Por Ustedes and Twist Magic.

The latter two would never be considered greats by any means, but for some reason I'd always be rooting for them whenever they ran.

Master Minded's first Champion Chase is still visually the best performance I have ever seen at any distance.

It was my first ever Cheltenham when three days were compacted into two because of the wind, and then Our Vic won the Ryanair and then Inglis Drever won the World Hurdle; what a first ever day at the festival - beat that!!!

wellchief • December 29, 2014 10:39 AM GMT
I always had soft spots for Chiefy (obviously), and Voy Por Ustedes and Twist Magic.

The latter two would never be considered greats by any means, but for some reason I'd always be rooting for them whenever they ran.

Master Minded's first Champion Chase is still visually the best performance I have ever seen at any distance.

It was my first ever Cheltenham when three days were compacted into two because of the wind, and then Our Vic won the Ryanair and then Inglis Drever won the World Hurdle; what a first ever day at the festival - beat that!!!

Master Minded better than Sacre's Queen Mum ???

I think Sacred would beat Master Minded nine times out of ten, but MM first QMCC was electric.

I think it lives long in the memory because it was so unexpected, no one could have predicted that (especially at his age), whereas we expect perfection from Sprinter every time.

No idea what their respective ratings were, but I know I'll always remember MM's, even in 20 years.

Sacred = Sacre

Bloody auto correct!

Moscow would lap all the others. Only ever won by a couple of lengths because he was getting bored out in front, with it being so easy...

Beat Well Chief all the time who won a competitive handicap off top weight on heavy ground at Cheltenham..

i think mm was about 185 sacre was 193 i think

See how Sacre would do with Azertyuiop and Well Chief up his bum all the way round Sandown?  He'd get rattled....not like me!

Moscow was prone to falling - a blip, but it is there.

Masterminded was jaw droppingly good when he won as a 5yo!

The 'black aeroplane' gets my vote... obvious and proven by the ratings..... and Gerraghty

I'd say over a period of time Moscow was the best, but if you put them all in a race together then Sprinter for me but I'd have loved to see the QMCC which masterminded won with Sprinter in it!  Who knows then? But probably still stick with Sprinter.

Going back a bit further when I was just starting to get into this, Badsworth Boy was a cracker.

Yes good point about Geraghty he should know.

Master Minded got beat a month later at Aintree by VPU those who watched the race at Cheltenham, weeks before, wouldn't have believed it.

Moscow Flyer 2/1 fav
Sprinter Sacre 9/4
Master Minded  5/1
Remittance Man 9/1
Viking Flagship 12/1
Barnbrook Again 14/1



Maximum bet 10p e/w

Cheltenham over Queen mother course on good to soft.

My house on Sprinter Sacre please and I'll lay off on Bet Daq where he is 4-6 Fav

master minded would be 20s for me. only way he'd win is on the bridle and no chance against that lot. he was overrated

Yeah, just place lay Master Minded imo

The problem I have with Master Mindeds Champion Chase is it's only rateable through Voy Por Ustedes as the rest of the field were pretty dire 2m horses, my beloved Twisty aside but he hated Cheltenham. Voy Por clearly was no longer a 2 miler, he was well beaten over 2 miles twice that season. Yet when upped to 2m4f in the Melling he smashed Master Minded.

I feel Master Minded was always a bit over rated because he happened to run a huge race once as a 5yo in the Champion Chase. Huge as it was at the time. He should have lost the Tingle Creek later the same year when Twist Magic came to nail him but fell. Then in the Champion chase Big Zeb was going superbly well when he fell 4 out yet destroyed MM the next two years in Champ Chase.

Moscow missed years of racing with broken Pelvis, so started his career late, he was a grade 1 winning hurdler, never got to run in a Champion hurdle due to foot and mouth and then went on that stunning win or fall streak that lasted years over fences. He raced against really top class 2 milers and because he only did enough each time (always flicking his ears to hear if he was far enough ahead to slow down a little) he doesn't get rated as highly as the wide margin wins of others.

But in saying all of that. No horse has made a mockery of the sport to the extent Sprinter Sacre did, maybe Kauto at his very very best was close, but Sprinter was just on another planet of good.

B Geraghty said the SS is the best horse hes ever sat on,and that includes Moscow Flyer

Ap O'brien says every other year that he has his best horse ever, doenst mean its fact.

the Tingle Creek form of 2003 and 2004 would outweigh the form of most. Simply majestic

I think Sizing Europe deserves his name on the original list as well.

With a bit more luck he could be a four times winner at the festival over 2m.

Injured when travelling well in the Champion Hurdle and got a raw deal over the final fence issue against Finians.

Add an Arkle and a Champion Chase win to that and you've got a great 2 miler. Obviously no match to sprinter last time, but still a great horse in his own right.

Katabatic was some horse in his day too.

could also add

Waterloo Boy
Martha's Son
Sabin Du Loir
Klairon Davies

maybe One Man?

Kauto wasn't bad over 2 miles either!

I know he a bit over the 25 year mark, but Badsworth Boy would swallow up some of the creatures mentioned above.
Three straight QMs without breaking sweat.

I knew someone would mention Badsworth Boy. If we are going that far back Pearlyman would also get a mention.

Badsworth Boy's first win was almost twice as far as the one Master Minded did that folk drool about.

The only 3 time winner ,never had to do more than be pushed out and won by 10 , 12 and 31 lengths....the best bar none.

in past 25y - toss up between moscow and sprinter but have to say moscow beat better horses with some regularity whereas decent opposition to sprinter has been thin on the ground. there have been lots of multiple winners but going further back a few years to mid 70s onwards when i first got involved, badsworth boy has been the best but i also loved rathgorman and won quite a bit for a poor student when he won QM