There was no need to look for excuses the following season, which produced an unbeaten sequence crowned by memorable wins at Cheltenham and Punchestown.
"The video of him smashing the track record in the Arkle at Cheltenham is worn out, and again we had a gamble on him which kept snowballing from 33-1 down to 8-1," said Wright.
As ever, there have also been bumps in the road. Recurring problems with a twisted gut threatened his career, while last spring brought double frustration when a crashing fall in the Champion Chase was followed by a fruitless trip to Japan for the Grand Jump.
"He fell early at Cheltenham, and we knew when the other horses came in the paddock looking like whippets that the 14-hour flight to Japan had been a waste of time," said Wright.
A heavy defeat there left Wright wondering whether Tiutchev was on the wane.
"The Japanese gave us a marvellous weekend, but we did wonder whether his days at the top were over," he said.
Fortunately, Tiutchev had other ideas. Punters wrote him off as a 20-1 shot for the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day, but he responded to an inspired McCoy drive to run his fellow veteran Edredon Bleu to a length and a quarter.
Tomorrow's race has taken on added importance for McCoy, who has found life much harder than usual in the flagship events this season.
"Tiutchev ran an absolute blinder in the King George," he said.
"He was beaten by a better horse on the day, but he loves Ascot and it will take a good one to beat him again if he's on his game. And what do the owners expect from Tiutchev?
With £330,000 in prize money tucked away he owes them nothing, but the emotions owning a jumper bring have nothing to do with pound signs.
"The highs are magical and the lows are desperate," said Wright.
"I spent one night trying to keep him on his feet while the vet rushed out to treat his colic, and we were on the way to Ascot in 2002 when we heard it had struck again.
"But that's part of the deal if you love horses. All I know is that Tiutchev is enjoying a renaissance and that he gives us a massive adrenalin rush every time he runs.
"Maybe he isn't a Best Mate or a Desert Orchid, but there's another chapter to his story yet and his whole season has been set up with tomorrow's race in mind."
