Geraghty seldom dwells on negatives and, where Moscow Flyer is concerned, the odd lapse is easy enough to forgive.
"He's an unbelievable horse and I won't ever get a better one," he said. "He can get a bit lazy which is why he needs to be in against the very best to show how good he is, but he's a hell of a horse and I owe him a lot."
Seventeen wins from 17 completed starts over fences is the statistic that will be chanted like a mantra by legions of Moscow Flyer fans ahead of tomorrow's return clash with Azertyuiop. But there is also another statistic worth considering.
Now 11, Moscow Flyer is at a stage when many chasers start to find Father Time chipping away at their ability. Anoraks have pointed out that almost 30 years have passed since any horse of that age won the Champion Chase, but Geraghty detects no erosion in the gelding's powers.
"Look at the performance he put up in the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December," he said. "I couldn't believe he was 2-1 with Azertyuiop odds-on that day, but he beat him well and he felt mad fresh when I popped him over a few fences last week."
In short, Geraghty still feels that there isn't a chaser around who can beat Moscow Flyer when he stays upright. The case for Kicking King in Friday's totesport Gold Cup is less straightforward, but Geraghty is delighted to see Tom Taaffe's gelding back in the picture after an infection two weeks ago.
"I thought this year's Gold Cup was wide open even before Best Mate was pulled out," he said. "Kicking King has a lot going for him. He's only just seven, so he's still improving, and he showed just how much he's progressed since last year with a great performance in the King George."
That performance also included a big blunder at the last, but once again Geraghty accentuates the positive.
"Fear kept me on board that day, and the way he rallied to hold off Kingscliff shows how strong he is," he adds. "Beef Or Salmon will be a big danger but I give my horse a great chance."
