Moscow Flyer
MOSCOW FLYER’S GLITTERING CAREER
By Moscow Society out of Meelick Lady (by Duky) 10 May 1994-21 October 2016 Breeder: Edward Joyce
Owner: Brian Kearney (pictured below, on the left; lad Eamonn Leigh on the right) Trainer: Jessica Harrington
Jockey: Barry Geraghty (also Paul Moloney, Peter Fahey and Anthony Ross)
Biggest wins: AIG Europe Champion Hurdle (2001), Arkle Trophy (2002) Queen Mother Champion Chase (2003 and 2005), Melling Chase (2004 and 2005), Tingle Creek Chase (2003 and 2004), Punchestown Champion Chase (2004).
“IT’S very rare when you’re racing that you can afford the luxury of pricking one ear and taking in the atmosphere, but as Moscow Flyer met the last fence on the perfect stride in the 2005 Champion Chase, I took a moment just to soak it in. And it was brilliant,” says Barry Geraghty. “Then you cross the line and it hits you like a wall.”
This wave of appreciation that greeted the legendary pair as they reclaimed their champion’s crown at Cheltenham was the crescendo of an incredible era in the sport, during which Moscow Flyer was immortalised through his titanic duels with a string of top-calibre opponents.
Fearless jumping – and heart-stopping mishaps – was his trademark, and for four seasons he remained undefeated in every race he completed, dominating the high-octane two-mile division, and cementing his place among the greatest racehorses of all time.
The charismatic gelding
