Top 25 Greatest 2m Chasers

A video of the 25 greatest 2m chasers over the years. There's probably a few controversial selections but I don't think there's many glaring omissions.
In the time I've been following racing Sprinter Sacre is the best 2m chaser that I've seen. At his best he appeared totally invincible.
Moscow Flyer would be next best for me. He was the best chaser around in a vintage period for the 2m division with Azertyuiop & Well Chief.
Desert Orchid and Kauto Star are the two best 3m chasers I've seen but I'd have them behind Sprinter Sacre & Moscow Flyer over 2m.
Every race fan has their personal favourite horses and three of mine are in this list. Desert Orchid, Remittance Man & Well Chief.
I remember being so gutted when Well Chief fell at the second fence in the 2007 Champion Chase. That was his big chance to win it and unfortunately injury prevented him having another proper chance of doing so.
Hopefully we'll see plenty more of Altior & Douvan competing over 2m during the next few seasons.
In alphabetical order:
Altior
Azertyuiop
Badsworth Boy
Barnbrook Again
Crisp
Desert Orchid
Douvan
Dunkirk
Flagship Uberalles
Flyingbolt
Fortria
Hilly Way
Kauto Star
Master Minded
Moscow Flyer
One Man
Pearlyman
Pendil
Remittance Man
Royal Relief
Sizing Europe
Skymas
Sprinter Sacre
Viking Flagship
Well Chief

[@Souljah2008]

Crisp was an absolute weapon.The best jumper of a fence i have seen. He was like a Stag when he jumped.

[@mizofan]

Such a shame he didn't win the National, with that magnificent run- denied by the weight.

[@notoriousgb]

At his best Remittance Man would take a lot of stopping . . He had everything, high cruising speed, unbelievable athletic jumper and finishing speed.

[@rickstebbings9028]

loved video. Pearlyman is right up there in my opinion. Could well have won a third having been nursed back to health seasons later, sadly he broke down coming down the hill travelling sweetly. Often overlooked and underestimated but one of the best I've ever seen.

[@RandyWatson69]

Thanks for the vid. Sprinter is the greatest of all time. No horse ever had the engine, cruising speed and utter brilliance of this fella.

[@quidnunc2436]

@ john m I can only agree with you 100 per cent. Only stable companion Altior and Flyingbolt are in his class.

[@DavidSmith-op8ix]

Correct, i think he would of been unbeaten if not though is heart problem.

[@connordoherty21]

Badsworth boy far better

[@faronsanders5796]

john m had a massive heart considering he had issues with it.

[@jamesbaker6834]

Moscow flyer was the best I ever seen to fell in the champion chase as champion then to come back and regain it back as a 11 year old amazing stuff

[@davidkent8606]

It was very nice of you to give the great 2 miler Dunkirk a mention. He lost his life when running in the King George over 3 miles when trying to keep in front of Arkle. But I think if you mention Dunkirk he's old adversary Buonanotte also deserves a mention, Buonanotte beat Dunkirk, and in the Mackeson came 2nd behind Flyingbolt but in front of Arkle.

[@user-bo2tc4dv9p]

So well put together, really appreciate it.

[@davidmastin416]

Fabulous memories, nice to see the inclusion of Royal Relief a favourite of mine.

[@edgetools1760]

great video - delighted to see Flagship Uberalles in there - one of the most successful but underrated 2 milers ever. Great horse. Sprinter Sacre rules supreme though. Altior could yet get there.

[@theboleynpoet5703]

Great video in so many of them great finishes Katabatic was always in the thick of it . A very under rated horse

[@bigbirdcage753]

Great list. Even though I backed One Man in the QMC I couldn't have him in my list, given he just ran twice at the distance & won once. Now Deep Sensation is different gravy.

[@goldenmiller7942]

Very good selections Arazi124 thanks. Fortria 1960 and 61 winner also won an Irish National and 2 Mackesons as well as being half brother to Cheltenham Gold cup winners Fort Leney 1968 and 1972 winner Glencaraig Lady, there illustrious sire being the 1946 Cheltenham Gold cup winner Fortina the only entire to win the great race. Not bad breeding results eh! lol

[@pabloman6138]

Sprinter scare has it for me .

[@markhiggins8315]

Azertyouop was devestating on his day one of the fastest but he didn't have the consistency or longevity of Moscow flyer. Altior and Sprinter Sacre were unbelievably good, so many great ones.

[@Zoe.TheBody360]

I fed Pendil as a little girl. He was the best horse to never win the gold cup. If he had he’d be near the top. He beat red rum and dessert orchid easily

[@rosmertagardens7147]

My father was the farrier for Skymas It was an absolute animal, well known to bite chunks out of anyone that went near him. Bryan Lusk, his trainer used to keep a goat in with him in the box to calm him down. I believe he was second in an Irish Grand National giving weight all round.

[@gerardlacey5428]

Its always interesting to hear about the nature,s of these great chasers. Skymas was a great horse ,dual champion chase winner,plus a Mackeson winner.

[@enasgreenhats]

Top 25 2 mile chasers, alphabetical. Thanks for posting. Couple of notes for me. Douvan had a Gold cup winner well beaten, Sizing John. So did Pearlyman, Desert Orchid (forgotten that) and Well Chief just held Kicking King. Not a bad Gold Cup trial/stat/pointer i.e. run 2nd in the QM Chase ! Been present at 30+ years of QMC's @ Cheltenham. In terms of those I have seen in my lifetime difficult to choose but my top 3 are Moscow Flyer (who beat 2 other champions consistently in Azertiyoup and Well Chief), Master Minded (his destruction of Flagship Uberalles was breathtaking to witness) and Sprinter Sacre (whose second champion chase one of the greatest racing comebacks of all time, showing what we lost in his wilderness years).

[@TheChrishoughton]

Sprinter Sacre is the greatest for me. It's only an opinion and we all have opinions. I just think that, before his problems, he was invincible. Of course, it was allied to the riding of Barry Geraghty. I first saw him live at Sandown Park and was completely blown away by his sheer balletic movement. I have never, before or since, seen a horse move that way.

[@89feighery]

agree. Even in the parade ring I've never seen a horse move like him. He used to literally dance it appeared. Knew he was the best.

[@TheChrishoughton]

@@89feighery Completely spot on. When you you saw him in the flesh, it took your breath away. I have never witnessed that before. It was like watching a ballet dancer.

[@somersetfan1]

Greatest performance - Master Minded, greatest consistency - Moscow Flyer, favourite - One Man, special mention - Well Chief because he was knackered by greedy connections.

[@leesog3203]

Wow, you rate Master Minded's better than Sprinters? I thought when I saw Sprinter I saw as good as it gets, but Master Minded was also incredible in beating Voy Por Ustedes.. I know Racing Post gave Sprinter a rating of 190 and Master Mind a rating of 186.. while Sizing Europe in behind was rated slightly higher than Voy Por..maybe that's where some would disagree..

[@bradleykitts4387]

Lee SOG yh sprinter I think was the best chaser throughout his whole career he was 1st or 2nd except 1 race he come 3rd and of course pulled up a couple times but he was special

[@89feighery]

@@bradleykitts4387 He was unbeaten over fences till his heart failed him. After battling it for years he then went unbeaten again. That 2016 season is surely the most incredible of any horse I've seen.

[@bradleykitts4387]

Mark Feighery he was very special I wouldn’t say the best I’ve seen as I’ve seen frankel kauto star many good horse and it’s very hard to compare but by far frankel is the best horse I had the pleasure of watching

[@bradleykitts4387]

Lee SOG you can’t rate master minded over sprinter sacre it’s practically impossible

[@chriscolton6329]

The Black Kangaroo stands alone!

[@kurman4749]

I wholeheartedly agree with Timeform's rating. They have Flyingbolt a long way ahead of Sprinter Sacre in second place. Personally, I would have Sprinter Sacre closer to Flyingbolt than the rating of Flyingbolt on 210 and Sprinter Sacre on 192.

[@mizofan]

Darling Dessie; i recommend the book The Grey Horse: The True Story of Desert Orchid by his owner Richard Burridge.

[@barbaradyson6951]

is there any chance you could download royal relief winning a race

[@horseracingstuff]

A few I'd add in are Katabatic and Waterloo Boy from the early 90s. Chinrullah should be here as he won the Champion Chase by a mile only to lose it on a drug test which by all accounts was very marginal.

[@Baskerville22]

Didn't Crisp carry 23 lbs more than Red Rum in the Grand National & get beaten just a length? Bit more than 2 miles. If Red Rum was a Best Ever over the GN distance, Crisp was even better....at level weights

[@mizofan]

Right, he was only caught close to the line as the weight took its toll- very sad, after such a magnificent run.

[@Baskerville22]

@@mizofan Might even have won with the weight if the jockey had not used him up early getting that huge break.

[@stevelee4952]

Spot on mate

[@bowlchamps37]

That´s one race. You cannot make a break a career using only 1 or 2 races.

[@Baskerville22]

@@bowlchamps37 He won heaps of races in Australia before going to the UK.

[@quidnunc2436]

The three greatest two mile chasers I've ever seen are Sprinter Sacre, Flyingbolt and Altior.

[@billmensale7552]

Good call. Perhaps Master Minded & Kauto Star on their day might give Altior problems. I think Altior is still a bit of an unknown quantity due to often just doing enough. His Timeform rating 180p suggests he can get even better. Real pity that there's no videos (none that I can find anyway) of the great Dunkirk. Honourable mention to (pre-injury) Blazing Walker - I know it was over 2m4f, but I'll always remember the day in 1991 he beat Waterloo Boy, Katabatic and Barbrook Again by ten lengths at Aintree.

[@rohansrider]

There is a very interesting story about Flyingbolt. Bred by the late Robert Way he was trained by Tom Dreaper and was Arkle's stable companion. The two horses only once trained together; accordingly, it was a needle match on the gallops and rumor has it that neither horse would give way to the other and side by side they flew up the track, in the end neither would pull up - Dreaper never put them against each other again. Also, Pat Taffe said that the two horses were like 'night' and day'. Arkle was sweet-tempered and a gentleman in his stable but Flyingbolt was a kicker and biter. Flyingbolt was probably the very best of his generation at that distance.

[@GeorgeFreeman55]

If Douvan hadn't got injured he would have have been the greatest ever.. And if One Man had raced at two miles during the 90s he would never have lost.

[@melvynjones402]

Flyingbolt

[@kurman4749]

He was definitely the best in my opinion too.

[@barbaradyson6951]

What osullivan was trying to say badsworth boy is the only horse to win 3 QUEEN MOTHER CHASES

[@kurman4749]

O'Sullevan not osullivan.

[@liamg353]

At his best none of them would hold a candle to the monster that was "Flyingbolt" rated second only to Arkle and many would say even better than "Himself". Won in all types ogf going from Firm to Heavy, even finished 4th in the Champion hurdle the day after he won the Champion Chase and but for a mistake at the 4th last and due to chasing the day before giving most of his hurdles too much air and also for the fact that Pat Taffe took the scenic route round Cheltenham. A true savage of a horse.

[@johnwedgbury6817]

Yep I'm one of those that say he was better than arkle. On form lines he gave more weight and a bigger beating to a couple of horses both of them faced.

[@johnwedgbury6817]

Oh and it was third not forth in the champion hurdle

[@liamg353]

@@johnwedgbury6817Oh right, my mistake, he was third, definitely not forth but maybe he did Sally forth. He definitely did not finish "FOURTH" but he finished third. 😂😂

[@kurman4749]

Yes, Flyingbolt was by far the best 2- mile chaser of them all.

[@liamg353]

@@kurman4749 He would beat all bar Arkle over any distance and many say there was nothing between Flyingbolt and Arkle. at their best.

[@Gazowen-qz5xy]

Pearlyman for me in recent times Moscow flyer

[@drombohowes830]

Shame douvan injured and never reached his potential. Sad. Altior a bit overated for me never beat anything and always hits flat spots.

[@old65rocker]

Duel Champion Drinnys Double

[@leecook8818]

1. Badsworth Boy, 2. Royal Relief, 3. Moscow Flyer.

[@dp7906]

Great video. Shame that there seems no records of Dunkirk's races. He won the 1965 two mile champion (by 20 lengths) Also won the Mackeson carrying 12 7 (still a record). He beat Mill House by 15 lengths on level weights at Ascot, which was comparable to Arkle's performances against Mill House. A race I would not wish to see was his tragic end in the 1965 King George. Dunkirk was fully a fence ahead of Arkle at level weights & Arkle looked beaten until Dunkirk weakened suddenly before his tragic fatal fall near the end. It was later discovered he had been suffering from Equine Flu which. Could he have beaten Arkle? We will never know, a 2 to 2 1/2 m chaser can beat Gold Cup horses in the King George as Desert Orchid proved much later. It is all a matter of opinion but in my opinion Dunkirk was definitely up there with the very best of them especially at 2 to 2 1/2 miles.

[@stevelee4952]

What a shame there is no video of Crisp. I.was there the day he slaughtered the Queen Mothers hot pot Black Magic on his UK debut over two miles. What a horse.

[@wheretheresawilltheresaway7752]

1st remittance man 2nd master minded 3rd moscow flyer

[@peterwest5525]

Several of them won "the Tingle Creek." But Tingle Creek wasn´t included !

[@markcoops1624]

Martha's son. Came back from injury to win the champion chase as a 10yr old

[@spaz5138]

Where

[@stevelee4952]

I saw Crisp when he won his first race in England. Two mile chase at Kempton. The queen mother's Black Magic was odds on but Crisp left him for dead. I backed Crisp at all odds for the National and would have bought my first house for cash if Pitman had sat still. Also , top 2 milers and no mention of Tingle Creek or Grand Canyon. Really????

[@jamesbeggs9733]

Viking flagship for me

[@112sje]

A good list but one horse who deserves a mention in KATABATIC.

[@paulclark4616]

He was a good horse. Dessie, as a veteran 12yo, gave Katabatic 24lb yet was only beat just over a length by him when they finished a close up 3rd & 4th when the Victor Chandler was a G1 handicap. Katabatic won the CC a few week later showing how great the grey was.

[@112sje]

Yes, to win the Gold Cup on heavy going after a busy season, carrying top weight in handicaps is some achievement, considering the light campaigns festival contenders get now.

[@anindachaudhuri3043]

How can you leave Martha's Son off your list when he has a 2-0 H2H record against Viking Flagship over 2 miles (both horses are the same age so age isn't a factor in this) and he was never beaten in a 2 mile chase he didn't fall in ? Also he clocked a very fast time in his Champion Chase win when to all intents and purposes he hadn't raced for 18 months. Given the context of his win and the time he clocked, he would have to be an all-time great chaser to be capable of something like this.

[@catherinewalsh5096]

The fact

[@davidfoster2006]

At he’s best Sprinter Sacre beats them all.

[@bradleykitts4387]

How can you put altior so low he’s undefeated as a 2m chaser

[@robertdixon6760]

They are in alphabetical order.

[@bradleykitts4387]

Robert Dixon I can see that now but if you naming a video top 25 you go from 25-1 not alphabetical order

[@bowlchamps37]

@@bradleykitts4387 No, you don´t have to. Top25 means top25. What you mean is a ranking. If he said Top25 2m chasers ranked, you´d be right.

[@barbaradyson6951]

what osullivan didn't say was the reason badsworth boy made history was because he won it 3 times. No horse before or since has achieved that.

[@barbaradyson6951]

jon commons wrong it's o'sullivan

[@barbaradyson6951]

Elwyn Richards no horse apart from Badsworth boy has won the qm chase 3 times and all you and the other person do is pick up on a name. It's about the horses which I have a feeling you both no nothing about. Bye

[@barbaradyson6951]

Elwyn Richards oo dear me little man what a laugh you are . You know nothing about horses.

[@barbaradyson6951]

dear me Elwyn what a very sad person you are when you have to make such stupid statements. you see you still haven't answered me about why the fences were changed so in arkles day they were much easier to jump. yes he did.

[@barbaradyson6951]

Elwyn are you trying to be nasty towards me?

[@TheChrishoughton]

Sprinter Sacre is No 1 without doubt.

[@gerardlacey5428]

Altior is a great horse,but I will always think he benefited by the injuries which sidelined Douvan.

[@darrensmith4279]

Rubbish

[@johnlivesey7892]

Flyingbolt Timeform rating of 210....

[@kurman4749]

Yes, Flyingbolt was so far clear of anything else, and rightly so.

[@johnlivesey7892]

@@kurman4749 Ask Michael Dickinson, 4 time winning trainer of the 2m Queen Mother Chase, who the best 2 mile Chaser was, he'll tell you without hesitation Flyingbolt.

[@Gazowen-qz5xy]

Oh yes dessie but you showed the wrong race

[@fenway7794]

MOSCOW all day long .travel , jump , lead or behind ..consistently beat great horses..sprinter was brilliant n flashy but beat fk all ..moscow would have him off it and never let him go by...

[@quidnunc2436]

Sprinter Sacre , Flyingbolt and Altior would all have beaten Moscow Flyer. Great chaser that Moscow Flyer was he was not in the same class as the above mentioned two mile chasers.

[@koophoto]

Call equiname - Brilliant training performance to get him to win a tingle and beat a world class field in the QM at Cheltenham

[@asteroidstrike8880]

Moscow wouldn't get within 5 lengths of Sprinter Sacre.

[@davidfoster2006]

But not the best of jumpers so disagree

[@fenway7794]

@@davidfoster2006 enter the clown edition