The winner of 26 of his 44 career starts, Moscow Flyer was easily one of the greatest steeplechasers of the last thirty years and he retired from racing last March having amassed an incredible total of €1,748,328.20 in prize money. Strangely enough, this horse never won a bumper race but was placed on three of his four bumper outings before winning a maiden hurdle at Punchestown in October 1999 on his first attempt over hurdles. An easy fifteen length victory in a winners event at Down Royal soon followed before he completed a hat-trick in the Grade One Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at the Fairyhouse Meeting in early December. This was the first of 13 Grade One victories in his career. He did not go toCheltenham the following March but did round off his season with a decisive win in the Country Pride Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
Victory in the Morgiana Hurdle in mid-November got him off to a good start in the 2000-2001 season but he was defeated by Youlneverwalkalone in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on his next outing. On very heavy ground at Leopardstown in late December, he won the December Festival Hurdle with Istabraq already looking beaten when falling at the final flight. Moscow Flyer himself then fell at the second last hurdle when still travelling well in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle over the same course in late January before winning the Shell Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown (re-scheduled from Puchestown). However, he was a little fortunate on that occasion as Istabraq looked to be travelling the stronger when falling at the final flight.
Connections always believed he would be a better horse over fences and so it proved. While his first race over fences at Fairyhouse resulted in him unseating Barry Geraghty at the fifth fence from the finish, he subsequently won his first chase at Down Royal in November 2001. An impressive performance in the Denny Gold Medal Novice Chase at Leopardstown in December was followed by a fall in the Arkle Challenge Cup over the same course the following month. Moscow Flyer then gained the first of three victories at the Cheltenham Festival with a convincing victory over Seebald in the 2002 Arkle Trophy at the famous meeting before rounding off an excellent first season over fences with victory in the Swordlestown Cup at Punchestown.
An easy victory at Down Royal in November set him up for a shot at the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown the following month but in an most unfortunate incident, Jessica Harrington’s charge unseated Barry Geraghty after being badly hampered at an early stage. He quickly bounced back with an easy success in the Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Meeting while he was again very good in winning the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown in early February. These performances saw him start a strong favourite for the 2003 Queen Mother Champion Chase atCheltenham and he certainly lived up to his tag as ‘the Irish Banker’ with a thoroughly impressive success defeating Native Upmanship by seven lengths. Aimed at the Kerrygold Champion Chase at Punchestown, he looked set for victory until making a bad mistake at the second last fence unseating Barry Geraghty in the process and gifting the race to Flagship Uberalles.
The 2003-2004 season proved to be another fantastic one although the only blot on his copybook came in the Queen Mother Champion Chase when he made another terrible blunder at the fourth last fence and gave Barry Geraghty no chance of keeping the partnership intact leaving main market rival, Azertyuiop, clear to win under Ruby Walsh. Before that unfortunate incident, Moscow Flyer had won the Fortria Chase at Navan, the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown (defeating Azertyuiop by four lengths) and the Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase at Leopardstown while following his mishap atCheltenham, he proved that he stayed two and a half miles over fences with an easy success in the Melling Chase at Aintree. A near perfect season was rounded off with a comfortable victory in the Kerrygold Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival.
The 2004-2005 season proved to be his greatest one yet as despite his advancing years he landed the Fortria Chase at Navan before putting up arguably his best ever performance. Facing two superb rivals in Azertyuiop and Well Chief in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, Moscow Flyer was at his brilliant best in defeating the pair of them convincingly. Forced to miss an intended engagement at Leopardstown at Christmas due to a stone bruise, Moscow Flyer warmed up for anotherCheltenham bid with victory in the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown in early February. In the Queen Mother Champion Chase, he again faced old rivals Well Chief and Azertyuiop and in what was one of his finest performances, he proved what a champion he was with another great victory. This victory sparked wild celebrations in the parade ring after the race and this was possibly his finest hour. Another bloodless victory in the Melling Chase at Aintree three weeks later was actually to prove his final success although it hardly seemed possible at the time. Moscow Flyer had won 19 steeplechase races from 19 completed starts but this proud record was to come to an end when Rathgar Beau beat him by the shortest of short heads in the Kerrygold Champion Chase at Punchestown in April with a bad blunder at the second last fence proving very costly.
Now aged eleven, the 2005-2006 season was one of disappointment for Moscow Flyer as he was beaten by Central House in the Fortia Chase at Navan, had to settle for fourth place in the Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase at Leopardstown in December and could only manage to finish fifth to Newmill in the 2006 Queen Mother Champion Chase – his fourth consecutive attempt at this famous race. While he owed nobody anything, this was a somewhat disappointing note for such a cherished hero of the turf to bow out on, but this would not be the final chapter in the Moscow Flyer story.
Early in 2007, Jessica Harrington announced that the 13-year-old was back in training and was being prepared to run in the charity race at the Punchestown Festival where he would be ridden by Jessica’s daughter, Kate. When the final day of the Punchestown Festival arrived, it would not have been surprising for much the racegoers to disperse at the latter end of proceedings following the marathon four day meeting, but the promise of seeing Moscow Flyer one last time was enough to ensure that the vast majority of racegoers stayed put after the final official race of the Festival had been run. On his toes in trademark fashion beforehand, Moscow Flyer looked an absolute picture and it was clear that he knew exactly what was expected of him. Having jumped off in a prominent early position, Moscow Flyer and Kate Harrington went in pursuit of the clear leader approaching the straight and having hit the front with over a furlong to race, the pair valiantly held off the challenge of John James to prevail by 3½l. The ovation that greeted the winning pair rivalled any that had been heard during the week and even a few tears were seen to be shed in the winner’s enclosure. It was a truly fitting end to the career of one of the greatest two mile chasers ever seen and he will forever be fondly remembered by all of those lucky enough to witness his great performances down the years.