Seven rivals for Flyer

Last year’s winner Moscow Flyer heads a field of eight declared at today’s 48-hour stage for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday.

The 10-year-old, trained in Ireland by Jessica Harrington, bids to become the first horse to register back-to-back victories since Viking Flagship in 1995.

He has yet to be beaten at Cheltenham, having also won the Arkle Trophy two years ago.

His main rival is last year’s Arkle victor Azertyuiop, who went down by four lengths to Moscow Flyer in the Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown in December.

Azertyuiop, who boosted his Champion Chase claims with an emphatic victory in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury last month, is one of three runners from the Paul Nicholls stable.

The Shepton Mallet trainer will also be represented by Cenkos, who has finished third in this race for the last two years. Mick Fitzgerald rides the 10-year-old for the first time in public.

Nicholls’ other representative is the outsider Venn Ottery, who has been backed at 1,000-1 by his 85-year-old owner and former trainer Oliver Carter.

Timmy Murphy takes the ride on the in-form nine-year-old, who has won four of his last five starts since Nicholls took charge of the horse three months ago.

Flagship Uberalles, trained by Philip Hobbs, runs in the two-mile feature for the fourth time. Third to Edredon Bleu in 2000, he lifted this prestigious prize two years ago, but was only fifth 12 months ago.

The champion team of trainer Martin Pipe and jockey Tony McCoy rely on Tiutchev. Winner of the Arkle Trophy four years ago when trained by Nicky Henderson, he has failed to figure in two previous attempts at this contest.

The field is completed by two big outsiders in Ei Ei, trained by Michael Chapman, and Victor Gethin’s Eskleybrook.