Today's Champion Chase preview: Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop present something of a script writer's dream in today's Queen Mother Champion Chase and it's the Irish horse that looks set to provide the perfect finale.

The prospect of this clash has kept jump fans frothing at the mouth through the winter and on St Patrick's Day every pub patriot in the country will entertain nothing but a green success in what has turned into a classic Anglo-Irish match up.

Against a horse of Azertyuiop's calibre that kind of blind faith is a dangerous pastime but it's still hard to present a cogent argument as to why Moscow Flyer can't come out on top.

In 12 chase starts in over three years, the only danger to the Jessica Harrington-trained star has been himself. Twelve completed starts have yielded 12 victories with only the occasional jumping hiccup interrupting the streak.

For most horses, a liking for throwing in the odd hairy jump is usually the sign of pressure or tiredness; for Moscow Flyer it looks to be sheer, unadulterated boredom.

When presented with inferior opposition the horse goes through the motions with a nonchalance that Zinedine Zidane would express in a five-a-side. But the evidence of the last three years indicates that when faced with a worthwhile opponent, Moscow Flyer tunes in with a vengeance.

Conveniently for us such evidence came in spades at Sandown in December when the horse had his one and only clash with Azertyuiop to date.

Despite a field that also included the 2002 champion, Flagship Uberalles, Moscow Flyer sauntered to victory despite taking the lead down the back.

That looked much too soon for a horse that notoriously loses concentration if left in front too long but he still managed a kick from the third last which left Azertyuiop and co looking flat-footed.

Since then, there has been a blow out on a glue pot at Leopardstown over Christmas, an absence that has done little to temper confidence in his superiority and nothing but confident noises from the Jessia Harrington camp about his readiness for today's task.

The fascination as to what will happen comes from the strident belief over here that Azertyuiop is a different proposition now than he was in December.

That has arisen from a supposed lack of fitness in the Tingle Creek, a blinding handicap effort against Isio in Ascot's Victor Chandler and a Game Spirit warm-up at Newbury that oozed style.

Azertyuiop was still a novice in Round One at Sandown the argument goes. Now he is ready for a toe-to-toe. Well, as the football guys love to say, the only talking that counts is on the pitch.

The bookmakers have helped build things up by going equal prices for the pair and, while in a championship race it is dangerous to dismiss anything, it's still difficult to see anything presenting a real threat to the big two.

Flagship Uberalles also hasn't run since Christmas but always does well fresh. The Hobbs horse is clearly a class act but 2002 looks to have been his day.

Tiutchev is another former Arkle winner, like the big two, but now looks best at two and a half miles while the talking horse, Venn Ottery, has been provoking the wrong sort of chat in the run-up between a disgruntled trainer and an angry owner who has ended up with his chosen jockey after all.

Ultimately though this looks a match up in the true sporting tradition. Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop threaten to provide us with the spectacle of the entire festival with two huge camps both fervently believing in their champion's ability.

It's not just St Patrick's Day patriotism, however, that leads one inexorably back to the conclusion that Moscow Flyer is about to become a back-to-back winner.