Best Mate (28 January 1995 – 1 November 2005) was an Irish-bred, English-trained

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and three-time winner of the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

. He was considered one of the most loved horses in the history of horse racing in the UK, with his sudden death while racing making front-page news.

Background

The horse was owned by Jim Lewis and trained by Henrietta Knight. He was sired by Un Desperado, a French stallion who won the

Prix Eugène Adam The Prix Eugène Adam is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1 miles), and it is scheduled to ta ...

in 1986. In 2000 a share of 40% was sold to Markus Jooste for the sum of £242,000

Racing career

Best Mate won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2002, 2003, and 2004 with jockey

Jim Culloty Jim Culloty is a racehorse trainer and retired professional National Hunt jockey who won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season. Culloty and Mick Fitzgerald both worked for Jackie Retter, who trained at Whitstone, nea ...

, matching the record of Arkle, but was withdrawn from the 2005 race eight days before the event due to bursting a blood vessel on the gallops. He also missed the 2001 festival due to the foot and mouth crisis where he was the favourite for the Arkle Challenge Trophy. He won the 2002

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...

and the 2003 Ericsson Chase. Best Mate never fell at a fence or hurdle. Out of 22 starts, he came first in 14 of them and second in seven, the 22nd race being the one he was pulled up in shortly before his death. Of the seven races in which he finished second, five were Group 1 races, and two were Group 2 races. Like Arkle, Best Mate won three successive

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

s. He ran in one handicap chase (2001/2002 First National Gold Cup), where he failed by 1/2 length to give 20 lbs to Wahiba Sands. He was the first horse to win the Gold Cup more than once since L'Escargot in 1970 and 1971.

Death

Best Mate collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack after being pulled up by jockey

Paul Carberry Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. Background He was born on 9 February 1974.Haldon Gold Cup The Haldon Gold Cup is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Exeter over a distance of about 2 miles and 1½ furlong ...

Exeter Racecourse Exeter Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located near the city of Exeter, Devon, England. Locally it is known as Haldon racecourse because of its location on top of the Haldon Hills. Until the early 1990s it was officially known as ...

on 1 November 2005. After the jockey dismounted, the horse stumbled and went onto his knees. Best Mate's death was national news, with headlines including ''Who can fill the void left by Best Mate?'', ''Best Mate leaves golden memories after giving his all for final time'', ''Heartbreak at Exeter as Best Mate collapses and dies'' and ''Perfect horse Best Mate dies at trainer's feet''.

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

regulations prevented the burial of his body on the Exeter course as Lewis and many racing fans desired. Instead Best Mate was cremated, and his ashes were buried beside the winning post at

Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, hosts National Hunt horse racing. Its most prestigious meeting is the Cheltenham Festival, held in March, which features several Grade I races including the Chel ...

on 10 December 2005. Lewis was in attendance even though his wife, Valerie, had died on 8 December after a 7-month battle against cancer.

Assessment and honours

The highest

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

rating for Arkle was 212, while Best Mate's highest rating was 182. Timeform themselves felt that Best Mate's rating could have been higher if he had raced in more handicaps. There is now a bronze statue in memory to Best Mate near the farm at which he was trained in Lockinge. At the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

the following year, a statue of Best Mate was revealed. He was made one of the elite 12 on the Cheltenham Hall of Fame in March 2007. In a DVD about him, Alastair Down narrates:

Pedigree

References