Born in Ireland (1995) and trained in England, Best Mate would go on to win plenty in the course of his career, and is known in particular for his affinity for the Cheltenham Gold cup. Henrietta Knight trained the horse and Jim Lewis was the owner. Loved and adored across Ireland, Best Mate gave the love right back to the fans in his performances. One of the things that stood out about him was that he was never one to throwing in the towel, and would exhilarate fans with his sudden bursts of energy and general demeanor. His death, (2005) which happened on the tracks, send shock waves reverberating around the world.
Career
With Jim Culloty at the saddles, Best Mate romped to victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times in a row, from 2004 to 2004. He was one of the hottest prospects for the 2005 edition but was pulled out of contention as a result of sudden injuries. Had he participated and won, he would have smashed right through the record set by Arkle to become one of the best ever in racing and the greatest in this specific competition. He also won the king George VI chase in the year 2002. 2003 came with good tidings in the form of the Ericsson Chase. Out of the 22 starts of his career, Best Mate led 24 times and came in second 7 times. He was solid on the ground and never fell at the tracks at any one time.
In November 2005, when competing in the Harold Gold Cup, jockey Paul Carberry stopped the horse and dismounted. When he did, Mate collapsed to the ground. He died a few minutes later in what many suspect was a heart attack.
Mate’s death was national news, and he was memorialised like the hero he was. His accumulated earnings were £1,022,436 at the point of death.
