The great National Hunt clash between Shishkin and Energumene in the Clarence House Chase on Saturday, brought back memories of some of the great two mile head-to-heads of yesteryear.

Planet Sport has delved back into the archives for its top five. What are yours?

Desert Orchid vs Panto Prince (Victor Chandler Handicap Chase)

Ascot, January 14, 1989

If you're too young to have seen this 'live' then fear not. It's plastered everywhere on the internet, and rightly so. This was the previous guise of the Clarence House Chase. In those days it was a limited handicap, but still contested over the same course and distance and at the same meeting.
Going into this epic clash, Panto Prince was an eight-year-old who had won a Listed handicap chase over 2m4f at Kempton's Christmas meeting. He was in receipt of 22lb from Desert Orchid, from whom he had also received 18lb and over a 12-length beating in Sandown's Tingle Creek Chase (then also a Limited handicap, rather than its current Grade 1 status) around six weeks earlier.

'Dessie' was already the darling of the racing public. He'd struck up his famed partnership with jockey Simon Sherwood, who was unbeaten on board the great grey in six rides to this point.

Two of those had been King George VI Chase wins over three miles, one of them had been the traditional end of season 'classic', the old Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown, over 3m 5f. And now he was dropping back again in trip to take on the nippy Panto Prince.

Trained by Chris Popham, Panto Prince went into this as the panto villain (Oh yes he did!). It seemed to defy logic that Desert Orchid could successfully concede such a huge amount of weight to a rival two years his junior. After all, he was being aimed at the Cheltenham Gold Cup this term, not the Champion Chase, in which he'd been previously finished second to Pearlyman. He'd be too slow.
'Dessie' had always been the trailblazing tearaway but he didn't get his own way on this day. He could only lead briefly at around the half way stage before Grand National-winning jockey Brendan Powell took it up again on Panto Prince and piled on the pressure.

Sherwood kept Desert Orchid interested throughout but he was always chasing the race and it looked like he'd go down to a gallant defeat under his crushing weight.

But this horse was something special. As they touched down after the second-last, the roars from the stands could be heard well beyond the Berkshire boundary.

Panto Prince led but 'Dessie' was clinging on. "Here's where the 22lbs is going to tell," asserted the late, great Sir Peter O'Sullevan, in his BBC commentary, but even he hadn't seen the Orchid bloom in such a manner before.
Touching down a hoof's thickness in front at the last, Desert Orchid again surrendered the lead to his rival. But, as we saw with Shishkin and Energumene in the Clarence House, that last furlong at Ascot has been the making and breaking of so many. Here, it would prove a stride too far for Popham's Prince.

"Dessie is fighting back like a tiger!" enthused O'Sullevan as, with every sinew stretched, no quarter given, and every other conceivable battle cliché you care to name, the grizzled grey almost went for his opponent before he got up in the shadows of the post.

The passing of 33 years has taken nothing away from the sheer pleasure of watching this race.

Being on the receiving end could have broken many but full credit to Panto Prince, who went on to with 13 more races in his career.

Dessie? Oh, he did ok. A Gold Cup, an Irish National under topweight plus two more King Georges were still ahead of one of the all-time greats.

Viking Flagship vs Travado vs Deep Sensation (Queen Mother Champion Chase)

Cheltenham, March 16, 1994

A head-to-head may be a sight to behold but what about a three-way-scrap?! This was a Champion Chase for the ages.

For some reason, the number crunchers always have this trio as bubbling under when it comes to the great two-milers, but they were all major forces on their day, none more so than the winner.

Whatever the form books say, like Desert Orchid, who had starred in the previous generation, Viking Flagship was a horse you'd have chosen to go to war with.

He would look his opponents square in the eye and leave nothing out there on the racecourse, with a belligerence that characterised his trainer, the late David 'The Duke' Nicholson.

Sometimes in racing you get that perfect match of horse and rider. Here was a case in point, for Adrian Maguire was notorious for throwing everything at his mounts in a tight finish and the Irishman lifted many a loser across the line in front. He wanted everything and Viking Flagship gave it.

Taken along by 100/1 shot Space Fair until three out, the race then began in earnest. Viking Flagship was never far away, his presence on the scene an unnerving reminder to his rivals that they'd go through hell if they were to get the upper hand.

Travado, partnered by the silky smooth Jamie Osborne, touched down in front three out, as the favourite Remittance Man crashed out and left Mick Fitzgerald on the floor.

Deep Sensation looked to be travelling best of all under Declan Murphy and had the inside rail, but sticking his neck out between the pair was the Viking.

Down they came to the last, three heavyweights of the two-mile chasing world locked together in combat. The photograph of the three of them touching down together is one of the great clicks of racing's history, but which of the trio had 'it'?

Travado got away marginally the quicker, Deep Sensation a nostril behind, with a head back in third Viking Flagship.

Cleeve Hill was shaken to its core by the crescendo from the crowd as, indefatigably, Viking Flagship grabbed both his opponents by the throat and squeezed, getting on top in the final few strides to win a Cheltenham, a racing, classic.

He was to repeat the dose a year later, this time by five lengths from Deep Sensation, with Travado blundering away his chance.

Bobsline vs Noddys' Ryde (Arkle Challenge Trophy)

Cheltenham, March 13, 1984

We're dipping into novices' territory now, with this lung-bursting hammer and tongs slugfest between the best that both Britain and Ireland produced that season.

Noddy's Ryde really had climbed the ladder since his trainer, the late great Gordon W Richards, had sent him chasing. Beating all that the north had to offer (and in those days it had plenty of ammo!), he went to Cheltenham to take on Ireland's talking horse, Bobsline.

Given a super, positive ride by Welshman Neale Doughty, Noddy's Ryde dominated the race from a long way out, but all the time Frank Berry on Bobsline kept him in his sights.

Coming down the hill, only Voice Of Progress, with multiple champion Peter Scudamore up, could live with the pair of them, with a yawning gap back to the fourth.

Noddy's Ryde jumped out to his right at the third last but still maintained a healthy advantage. Berry then asked his mount to get serious, and as they touched down two out, the Brit's lead was less than two lengths.

Undeterred, Doughty asked his mount to kick on, but Berry covered the move around the outer, now drawing upsides as they turned for home, looked up, and saw that stairway to Cheltenham heaven.

Beginning to get a little more urgent in the saddle, Doughty got to work on Noddy's Ryde, hands and heels, easing off to let his mount see a stride at the last. Suddenly, Bobsline looked to be going marginally the better. Both pinged the last and this was it.

Noddy's Ryde got away slightly the better and had the far rail for company, Bobsline drifted towards the stands' side but with an animated Berry slapping his mount down the neck and getting a great response, it was the Irish horse who prevailed in an absolute humdinger.

You needed binoculars to see the rest!

Moscow Flyer vs Azertyuiop vs Well Chief (Tingle Creek Chase)

Sandown Park, December 4, 2004

A magical race starring the best two musketeers over fences of the day, plus the equine equivalent of D'Artagnan.

If you've ever seen that series of fights between Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman from the 1970s, then you'll know what it's like to see three giants of their game slugging it out, often with different results.

Moscow Flyer had had his jumping issues from time to time. In fact, at the time they went to post on this day, he'd won all 15 of his completed starts over fences, but either fallen or unseated in the other five.

Most notably, after annihilating his field in the 2003 Champion Chase, he'd been sent off at odds-on to successfully defend his Cheltenham crown a year later, but had crashed out four from home when travelling ominously well.

In between times, he'd put four lengths between himself and Azertyuiop in the previous year's renewal of the Tingle Creek.

That Cheltenham tumble had left the championship to Paul Nicholls-trained Azertyuiop, whose build up to this titanic clash had been a well-earned summer break, followed by a comfortable win in Exeter's Haldon Gold Cup to kick-start his campaign as the two-mile standard bearer.

Meanwhile, Martin Pipe-trained Well Chief (after injuries later in his career, he was trained by Martin's son David) had shown himself top class when beating subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup and dual King George VI Chase winner Kicking King by a length in the 2004 Arkle.

He proved that to be no fluke when following up in Aintree's Grade 1 version, the Maghull Novices' Chase. Turned over at odds-on on his reappearance at Cheltenham, he was the young upstart who was about to jump right into the big time.

Perhaps a measure of the quality in this field was that the 2002 winner Cenkos was now a 25/1 chance and it was the Andy Stewart-owned gelding who set the pace.

Moscow Flyer and Barry Geraghty were always their closest pursuers, but Ruby Walsh on the odds-on 'jolly' Azertyuiop was travelling well in third and Well Chief, as usual held up by Timmy Murphy, appeared very comfortable with the race's breakneck speed. They were content to sit about four or five lengths off the pace.

At the middle one of the notorious 'Railway Fences' down Sandown's far side, leader Cenkos and second-placed Moscow Flyer both got in a little bit close, and when Cenkos repeated that and made a clear mistake at the last of that trio of fences, Moscow Flyer hit the front travelling well.
Rounding the home turn, Azertyuiop pulled Walsh to within a length of the leader, while Well Chief was still able to lay-up a couple of lengths further back but apparently still on the bridle.

Heading towards the Pond Fence, three from home, Geraghty stole a peep over his left shoulder. He'd have seen a motionless Walsh on the favourite, in the yellow colours of John Hales, but he might have been a little more surprised to see Murphy with plenty of horse under him on Well Chief.

Throwing his mount at that fence, Geraghty's well-renowned positivity came to the fore as Moscow Flyer got away from it quicker than his arch rival. In an instant, Walsh pushed, shoved and pushed again, his mount responding to his urgings to pick up again going to two out.
Still within range was Well Chief, who for the first time felt Timmy Murphy in the drive position as he touched down about three lengths behind the leader, but with momentum.
Again, 'The Flyer' just had that extra yard of pace on the level as they began the uphill climb to the last, Well Chief now perhaps a nose ahead of Azertyuiop, both within touching distance of the leader as he took off at the last.

Just when he needed it the most, Moscow Flyer pinged the final fence for Geraghty, again getting away quickly, Well Chief moving through into a clear second in pursuit halfway up the run-in.

Geraghty became more upright in the saddle as he asked his mount for everything, until 25 yards from the line he stood tall in the stirrups and saluted a delighted crowd. He'd won it!

To his credit, Azertyuiop raised one final effort to regain second place in the dying strides, one-and-a-half lengths behind the winner, with Well Chief now well and truly that third musketeer a hair's breadth behind him. Epic.

The three of them did battle again at Cheltenham the following March, Moscow Flyer, regaining his crown from Azertyuiop, who that time finished 15-lengths behind him in third.

Well Chief proved his Tingle Creek effort had been no fluke, finishing two lengths second in the Champion Chase, before again getting the better of Azertyuiop in Sandown's end of season Grade 2 event, the Celebration Chase.

Shishkin vs Energumene (Clarence House Chase)

Ascot, January 22, 2022

Not just a modern classic but a race that will stand the test of time and deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as all those mentioned and more.

I'll be honest, I didn't know who would win before the off. In fact, I didn't know who would win at the final fence! What a fantastic race to have experienced. The neat, efficient jumping by Energumene brought back memories of the likes of Remittance Man, Douvan and even more recently, Altior.

Ascot's fences certainly take some jumping and from time to time it looked as though the hope of Ireland was just asking Shishkin to go a heartbeat quicker than ideal, causing him to brush through the birch on more than one occasion.

There were hearts in mouths as he pecked quite badly on landing after the sixth, moving ahead of last year's winner First Flow into second place at the same time.

Had the ground been more testing, First Flow may have been able to live with them for longer, but he was all but cooked as they turned in, bowing out as if understanding that this day was not about him.
Still travelling the better, Energumene eased his way towards the second last, Nico De Boinville taking on the appearance of a jockey who was more than slightly concerned on the eventual winner.
As they touched down over the second last, Paul Townend was still sitting there full of confidence on his mount. However, travelling at that speed over that distance would surely eventually ask questions of his stamina, as they moved towards the end of that long draw from Swinley Bottom.

The Irishman began to ask his mount for a greater effort, De Boinville, unusually, was seen raising his whip on Shishkin and applying a reminder.

Five strides before the last, that Shishkin stamina offered to kick in, but the Irish challenger had a length on him. Both jumped it well, as they needed to, but in the dozen or so strides that followed, the race changed complexion.

For the brilliant yet not flashy Energumene, the petrol gauge began to touch red, while for the Nicky Henderson-trained favourite, there appeared to be that fuel injection that's become a trademark.

It must have been agonising for Townend, willing the post to come his way more quickly, while for his counterpart, he just wanted, needed, a few more strides.

Hitting the front a magnificent seven strides from the line, Shishkin nailed his rival, who was carried out on his shield. The best thing about this race is that it may be the first of several between the pair. Willie Mullins said immediately after the race that it would be very difficult to turn this result around in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in a few weeks.

Given that his horse jumped more fluently than Shishkin, he may be proved correct, but you just know that the maestro trainer will leave no stone unturned in trying to plot his horse's revenge. It should be another race to savour.