A fitting tribute to a larger-than-life performer who still keeps on giving

IT’S funny how, given that everything at Cheltenham depends on the speed of forward movement, a horse who goes nowhere at all could bring the venue to a standstill.

That seemed a witty observation at the time but then the Danish cartoons about Islam probably seemed a good idea at the time - only they were less offensive. Joking about Best Mate is not best advised.

The three-times Gold Cup winning wonder-horse, who died unexpectedly before seeing another season, was remembered reverentially yesterday when a life-size bronze statue of him was unveiled close to the paddocks.