Moscow Still Up To Champion Standard - Geraghty

Barry Geraghty insists punters should not rule Moscow Flyer out of the Queen Mother Champion Chase picture.

The 12-year-old has won the race twice before but he has looked a little lacklustre in his last two starts, suffering a surprise defeat at Navan before finishing out of the frame at Leopardstown over Christmas.

However, big-race pilot Geraghty believes Jessica Harrington´s stable star can return to his best when the yard begins to hit a bit of form.

'He ran well enough (at Leopardstown) but I just thought he caught the top of the second-last,' Geraghty told At The Races.

'A lot of Jessie´s horses, Macs Joy included, are 10 lengths off where they were last year - I´d be putting Moscow´s disappointment down to that.

'Some of them have just been running disappointingly and blowing themselves up.

'If he can get back to where he was, his best form, I think he will take a lot of beating.'

Moscow Flyer, who was unbeaten in all his completed starts until meeting with defeat at Punchestown last April, is a general 5-1 chance for the Cheltenham Festival.

(C) PA Sport