The racecourse reappearance of the three times winner of the Chelthenam Gold Cup ended in tragedy as he died after suffering a heart attack in the William Hill Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter.
Earlier this year, Best Mate missed to attempt at a fourth consecutive Gold Cup when he burst a blood vessel in his final workout before the big race.
Today, the jockey Paul Carberry pulled him up before the third-last fence as he knew something was wrong. The jockey dismounted and began to make his way down the home straight, but Best Mate’s legs gave way and he went down.
“I was the first person there on the course, and I knew immediately he was dying,” said Henrietta Knight, the woman who trained the legendary horse. “The sooner it’s over, the better.”
“He raised thousands of pounds for charity and he made a difference to a lot of people’s lives. That will be his epitaph. Amen to him,” said Jim Lewis, the owner who revealed that Best Mate would be buried at Exeter.
Our condolences to Jim Lewis and Henrietta Knight.
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