Three Gold Cups – but it might just have been a different Best Mate story

Those lucky enough to be at Cheltenham on Gold Cup day in 2004 witnessed history, as Best Mate joined an elite list with his third victory – but it could have all been so different.

It was most certainly a dramatic few minutes for those in the Best Mate camp. First, Paul Carberry, riding Harbour Pilot, attempted to keep Jim Culloty on Best Mate trapped on the rails.

Harbour Pilot was just not quite quick enough to keep him there, though, and in a matter of strides Best Mate was out and gone.

However, just a length or two away was the late Robert Alner’s Sir Rembrandt, winner of the Rehearsal Chase and second in the Welsh National earlier in the season but seen by many as a bit of a slow coach, not classy enough for a Gold Cup.

Hence, he was sent off at 33-1 – yet anyone who took those odds began to get very excited as Andrew Thornton brought him into contention coming down the hill on the second circuit.

“Sir Rembrandt was 17 hands yet he loved Cheltenham,” said Thornton.

“One thing I remember about that race is the pace of the race. Thierry Doumen rode First Gold and seemed to fire him into every fence and he kept responding, so we seemed to be going flat out most of the way.

“I remember thinking on the run to two out that I don’t think I’d ever approached that fence as fast as we were going that day – and Best Mate left us for dead!

“If you look at the time, six minutes and 42 seconds, and Galopin Des Champs last year was well over seven minutes, it gives you an idea of how quick we went. I won it on Cool Dawn a few years earlier on what was proper quick ground in six minutes and 39 seconds, yet even though I won it I’ve no problem in saying that was a poor Gold Cup.

“Some horses lose their race at Cheltenham before it has even begun with all that is going on, but Sir Rembrandt loved it, if anything he probably found a bit of pace for the atmosphere.”

While Best Mate’s seasons were always very carefully mapped out by Henrietta Knight, and usually limited to three or four runs, Alner was certainly not afraid of sending Sir Rembrandt into battle.

“That season we started in the Hennessy with a well-handicapped horse, so we thought, but he fell at the third,” said Thornton.

“So a week later we sent him to Chepstow and he bolted up in the Rehearsal Chase, beating Bindaree. We thought that was great so three weeks later we went to the Welsh National and he was 2-1 favourite.

“He ran a blinder, but guess who beat him? Bindaree, by half a length and we had a 4lb penalty for the Rehearsal and it was obviously the difference. Hedgehunter was a mile back in third and went on to win a National and be second in a Gold Cup and of course Bindaree had already won the National.

“They were two very hard runs and a month later he ran in the Pillar (Cotswold Chase) but he ran no race. Robert’s always tended to have a quiet spell in January for whatever reason.

“He ran in the Aon (Denman Chase) when Timmy Murphy rode him after that but the ground was too quick.

“So those two runs meant we went to Cheltenham completely under the radar, and of course all the attention was rightly on Best Mate anyway.

“It’s funny in those situations, you know Best Mate was attempting was something special, not done since Arkle, but when you are racing you’d do anything to beat him!”

Carberry nearly did on Harbour Pilot rounding the final bend, attempting to stop Best Mate from getting a clear run, good race-riding for many and Thornton feels that manoeuvre possibly cost himself the race.

He explained: “Everyone remembers Paul Carberry trying to keep Jim in, but I actually think it worked in Best Mate’s favour.

“He was a horse, despite all his success, who never really did that much when he hit the front so when he couldn’t get out, it just delayed his run for a few more strides.

“Of course, he was by far the best horse in the race and he showed that between the last two going clear as he did, but then after jumping the last he thought he’d won.

“Sir Rembrandt never actually quickened, you know. It may have looked like it but all I was doing was staying on at one pace, Best Mate was just pulling up so if he’d got out when Jim wanted to, maybe I would have caught him!

“I can honestly say though I don’t lie in bed wondering ‘what if’ because I never for a moment thought I was going to win.”

A race that Sir Rembrandt would have been a leading contender for was the Grand National and that was the plan after Cheltenham.

“He was among the favourites for Aintree after that, but two days before the race he went lame, he would have had a proper chance,” rued Thornton.

“And guess what won that race, Silver Birch, for Gordon Elliott – had we run who knows how Gordon’s career might have turned out!”