IN THAT same maudlin but practical manner that media outlets have obituaries in cold storage to produce at a moment’s notice in the event of an elderly individual of significant profile shuffling off this mortal coil, there were racing journalists trying to get ahead of the curve as speculation on the future of Barry Geraghty intensified earlier this year.

In the lead-up to and during the Punchestown Festival, the whisper persisted that a dire run of injuries that read fractured right arm, fractured ribs and collapsed lung, fractured left arm and fractured shoulder was leading to a retirement announcement. Saturday came and went and Geraghty was still rocking up.