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Moorestyle (1977–1984) was a British Thoroughbred horse racing and sire. He was unfashionably bred, sold cheaply as a yearling and began his career in minor races. As a three-year-old, however, he improved to become one of the outstanding British sprinters of the post-war era and was named the best horse of the year in Europe by all the major rating organisations. He was also an excellent horse over seven furlongs. Moorestyle's wins in 1980 included the July Cup, the Haydock Sprint Cup, the Prix de l'Abbaye and the Prix de la Forêt. He had further successes as a four-year-old and was retired to stud at the end of 1981. The horse had little opportunity to prove himself as a stallion, dying of grass sickness in 1984.
In the summer of 1980, Moorestyle returned to sprint distances when he ran in the July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket. He took the lead a quarter mile from the finish and won from Vaigly Great and Sharpo. In the following month he finished second to Boitron in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, in which he was attempting to concede weight to the four-year-old winner. The multiple Group One winner Kilijaro finished third. In autumn, Moorestyle returned to England and won the Sprint Cup (then a Group Two race), beating Kampala and King of Spain and the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket. In France he won the Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000 metres (beating Sharpo) and the Prix de la Foret over 1400 metres.
Moorestyle remained in training as a four-year-old in 1981. Before the start of the season, Moores Furnishings sold a half share in the horse to the British National Stud. His early season was disrupted when he was injured in training incident involving Epsom Derby contender Beldale Flutter. In the summer he was beaten by Marwell in the July Cup, by Sharpo in the Nunthorpe Stakes and by To-Agori-Mou in the Celebration Mile. He returned to winning ways in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and, in the autumn, in the Diadem Stakes and Challenge Stakes before ending his career with four-length win in the Prix de la Forêt.
In the International Classification, compiled by the official handicappers of Britain, France and Ireland, Moorestyle was the highest-rated horse of 1980, one pound ahead of Ela-Mana-Mou and Argument.
The independent Timeform organisation awarded Moorestyle a rating of 137 in 1980, making him the highest-rated horse of the year and the equal fourteenth highest rated horse since the organisation began publishing ratings in 1947. In the remainder of the decade his rating was only surpassed by Shergar, Dancing Brave and Reference Point. (1990). 9780851129020, Guinness Publishing. ISBN 9780851129020
In their book, A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Moorestyle the eighth best British or Irish sprinter of the 20th century.
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