Moscow Flyer can beat Azertyuiop and Well Chief in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham tomorrow.

Twelve months ago it was Azertyuiop who took the honours after Moscow Flyer and Barry Geraghty had parted company four fences from home just as the race was beginning in earnest.

But Moscow Flyer had been crowned champion the previous year and now he's primed to regain the crown from his arch-rival.

Trained in Ireland by Jessica Harrington, Moscow Flyer is unbeaten in 17 completed races over fences, which includes twice beating Azertyuiop.

That he's now 11-years-old - and bidding to become the oldest winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase - has to be considered, but this remarkable racer has looked as good as ever this winter.

Azertyuiop, beaten a length-and-a-half by Moscow Flyer in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in December, looked awesome when beating Well Chief at Newbury last month and will be really difficult to conquer.

Well Chief, third behind the 'big two' in the Tingle Creek Chase and runner-up to Azertyuiop at Newbury, is a serious threat to his rivals on a course where he won last season's Arkle Trophy.

Fingers are crossed that Moscow Flyer stays on his feet and takes his amazing unbeaten record to 18 fencing triumphs.

Norton trainer Malcolm Jefferson has a fighting chance of figuring in the shake-up in tomorrow's first race, the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle, with Roman Ark, a triple-winner this season.

But Tony Dobbin's mount may have to settle for a place in a race in which I fancy prolific winner Royal Paradise, trained in Ireland by Tom Foley of Danoli fame, to oblige under Mick FitzGerald.

Trabolgan, another Fitzgerald mount, has the ground in his favour in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Chase, but Nicky Henderson's classy performer will not have things all his own way and, at the odds, a better proposition may be French raider L'Ami, a good winner at Warwick last time.

The Nap selection is Covent Garden, one of Howard Johnson's two runners in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle.

The seven-year-old ran a blinder to finish fifth to Supreme Serenade at Sandown last month, on only his second outing of the campaign.

He promises to start at value-for-money odds and could well spring a surprise for his four-strong team of owners, who include Newcastle United star Alan Shearer.

Tomorrow's tips

Cheltenham

2.00 Royal Paradise, 2.35 L'Ami, 3.15 Moscow Flyer, 4.00 Covent Garden (Nap), 4.40 Persian Waters, 5.20 Rasharrow.

Tomorrow's other meetings are at Huntingdon and Wolverhampton.

Updated: 10:26 Tuesday, March 15, 2005