Those closest to him have had much time to come up with an alternative theory "There was probably a virus lurking over him in the spring. "I won't take him to the place where he bled before," Knight said. "I don't want him to be concerned again by an uncomfortable experience Horses are like elephants. Providing we do not have a recurrence of what happened I can't see why he can't be as good as ever."The vista changed quite horribly for Best Mate in the spring Now the policy is to distance that bloody morning.
Proof positive will come only when the heat dial is turned up to maximum, first off in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on 19 November, when Kicking King is likely to be among formidable foes."You just can't fault him [Kicking King]," Knight said yesterday "He's a superb horse I don't think there's a chink in his armour He's the best horse around Apart from possibly our own We don't know because they have never met. Certainly Best Mate remained a sleek and persuasive figure yesterday and if anno Domini has overtaken him then it must be a Flat horse. He also burst a dream. In the interim a horse called Kicking King has come along and Best Mate's authority as the best staying chaser around has been wiped out. Now the near 11-year-old is close to starting out all over again.The faith, of course, will die last among his connections. Until he runs again, and the next appointment is the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on 1 November, we will not know if Best Mate is the same animal which used to sweep imperiously around Prestbury Park and several other locations in these islands.
The doubt has been there ever since 10 March this year, eight days before the Gold Cup, when Best Mate was led off Mick Channon's gallops with blood seeping from his nose He burst a blood vessel that day. Vinnie Roe is on his third visit to Australia after finishing fourth in 2002 and second to Makybe Diva 12 months ago.. Best Mate looked like a champion here yesterday. The three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner did no disservice to his record as he crunched his bit and nodded regally in a paddock at Henrietta Knight's stables. He looked dark and substantial, but then so does a marshmallow This is the essence with the tall horse.
