Moscow Flyer, unbeaten in all his completed starts over fences, was sent off 6-4 favourite to atone for his misfortune from 12 months earlier, when Barry Geraghty was unseated after the horse was hampered.

The Irish-trained chaser put the matter right in style, defeating Azertyioup by five lengths, with Flagship Uberalles seven lengths away in third.

It was a performance which prompted Geraghty to hail the horse as the best he has ridden.

“He was wonderful,” said winning trainer Jessica Harrington. “They didn’t really go quick enough. Barry said he was running away, and was very long at the third-last and very long at the last. He just jumped beautifully.

“I couldn’t have been more delighted. He just ran his own race and dominated from a long way out.

“He either wins or falls, and he hasn’t had a lot of battles. Today he has picked up well, but Barry said he was idling in front.”

Bookmakers hardened Moscow Flyer’s position at the head of the market for the Queen Mother, with William Hill going shortest about him at 6-4.

“The plan was to give him a run at Leopardstown over Christmas and then give him one more run before Cheltenham,“ said Harrington “But we’ll just see, as he was pretty fit for this and it’s whether we just let him down a bit.”

The Tingle Creek was a sizzler from flag fall, with Cenkos leading the way to Moscow Flyer, with Azertyuiop, taking a keen hold, hard on their heels.

Moscow Flyer moved into the lead four from home, where he was immediately shadowed by Flagship Uberalles and Azertyuiop.

However, he bounded away from his pursuers between the final two fences, with Azertyuiop unable to quicken and Flagship Uberalles already booked for third place when making a mistake at the last obstacle.

Geraghty enthused: “To win it this year, after what happened last, was great. He’s a different class. He’s so much pace. He was running away at the fourth-last.

“He stopped for a bit, I gave him a couple of cracks and he’s picked up again at the last and went away really well.

“Ideally better ground would suit him but I was confident going into the race. I never had any concerns. He’s just different class, by far the best horse I’ve ridden.”

Paul Nicholls felt that Azertyuiop, out to a best-priced 7-2 for Cheltenham with William Hill, had his chances comprised by effectively having his initial race of the season, having failed to get beyond the first fence on his reappearance at Exeter last month.

Azertyuiop will run next in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby over Christmas.

“He wants to run a few times, get him fit,” said Nicholls. “He’ll come on a lot for that, as a lot of ours have. He’s just needed it there, and he’s having a blow.

“Now he’s had a run, he’ll settle next time. I was happy but he will improve. That race was as good as a Champion Chase.”

Nicholls and Ruby Walsh had earlier teamed up for an impressive success with Thisthatandtother, who advanced his claims to succeed Azertyuiop as winner of Cheltenham’s Arkle Trophy in the Extraman Trophy.

The seven-year-old jumped immaculately under Walsh, the pair’s only anxious moment coming at the second-last when appearing to get close to the hind quarters of Atum Re.

Thisthatandtother quickened into the lead before the final fence and was unexpended to win by four lengths from Atum Re, with chasing debutant Chauvinist, who had made a bad blunder at the fifth-last, five lengths away in third.

Bookmaker reaction for Thisthatandtother’s Arkle Trophy prospects ranged from Coral’s 7-4 to Paddy Power’s 11-4.

Nicholls said Thisthatandtother’s Festival preparation would mirror that of Azertyuiop last season.

“He’ll have one run in February, like we did with Azertyuiop, at somewhere like Wincanton or Warwick, and then go Cheltenham,” he said. “If he’s all right then you can go to Aintree, and possibly Punchestown, so there is no point running him anymore now. He can have a holiday.”

Walsh completed a 24-1 double when Overstrand gained his fourth win of the season for trainer Mary Reveley by taking the William Hill Handicap Hurdle by five lengths from top-weight Old Vic.

Patrick Chamings enjoyed his richest training success when Kings Mistral, ridden by Richard Johnson, proved two-lengths too strong for Fasgo at the end of the £45,000 (€63,917) -added williamhill.co.uk Marathon Chase over almost three and three-quarter miles.

Kings Mistral received a 16-1 quote for the Coral Welsh National from the sponsors, although William Hill offer 40-1.

However, Chamings has dual concerns ahead of the Chepstow contest.

“That’s the quickest ground we’ve run on with him, and he does have a history with his legs,” said the trainer.

“He’s in the Welsh National but he’s miles out of the weights and I don’t think he’d get in.

“Richard Johnson said that race would be the target if we had a target to go to, but the Midlands National would definitely be a consideration.”

Steven Craine, son of the well-known Irish jockey of the same name, rode his first winner since arriving in Britain when Nathos took the Neil Kenworthy Memorial Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

Craine’s father numbered the 1992 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on St Jovite among his career highlights, and the youngster claimed the scalp of champion jockey Tony McCoy in guiding Nathos to a five-length win over Downtherefordancin.

Winning trainer Charlie Mann believes British racegoers will see plenty of the 21-year-old, who rode six winners when attached to Frances Crowley in Ireland.

“He’s been with me for five months and is a good lad and rides very well,” said Mann. “He’ll get a lot more opportunities, and I hope to get him going now.”