IT was sad to hear about the passing of Moscow Flyer last Friday. All his achievements have been well documented over the course of the last seven or eight days: his 13 Grade 1 wins, his Arkle, his two Champion Chases, his two Tingle Creeks.

When you work with the trainer in the writing of a book about a racehorse, you feel like you have a special affinity with that racehorse, but every racing fan felt like he or she had an affinity with Moscow Flyer. He was a character, he had personality.