Murphy thrilled by Best Mate call-up
Henrietta Knight had earlier ended speculation as to who would deputise for the injured Jim Culloty on the nine-year-old by announcing the name of the Irishman, who had already made a trip to her Wantage yard to sit on the horse.
Murphy has been in phenomenal form lately, riding seven winners for his new boss Martin Pipe at the Open meeting at Cheltenham last weekend.
“I’m really looking forward to riding him, he’s obviously a fabulous horse” said the 30-year-old.
“His record says it all. It’s a privilege just to be asked to ride him.
“Having also ridden Beef Or Salmon recently I will have been on the best two chasers around. It’s just a pleasure to say you have ridden both of them.
“I went down to Henrietta’s on Saturday to sit on him and he was everything I expected him to be. I schooled him over a couple of fences, nothing too strenuous.”
Tony McCoy, who had ridden Best Mate twice before, including to victory in the 2002 King George VI Chase, was also believed to be in the running to partner the Jim Lewis-owned champion.
Miss Knight said: “We weighed up the pros and cons. Obviously Mr Lewis has a lot of loyalty to Tony McCoy, who has ridden winners for him in the past, but we decided that Timmy Murphy’s style of riding would suit the horse better.”
Best Mate will face a maximum of six rivals in the ÂŁ65,000 contest.
The chief threat to the son of Un Desperado looks to be the Robert Alner-trained Sir Rembrandt, who has half a length to find from the Gold Cup in March and has a run under his belt already this season.
Henry Daly’s useful Hand Inn Hand, who has also had a run, Frenchman’s Creek, Upgrade, Seebald and One Knight complete the field at the five-day stage.
Miss Knight has been pleased with Best Mate’s progress, but warned the near-three-mile contest in Devon would not be a stroll in the park.
He has also been entered in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon on Saturday, where he has reappeared for the last two seasons, although this is only as an option if conditions become very testing at Exeter.
“It will be a good race,” she added. “Hand Inn Hand ran a good race over hurdles the other day, and some of the others have had the benefit of a run.
“I am delighted with him and I have put him in at Huntingdon just as a precaution.”
Cashman’s bet: 4-6 Best Mate, 2-1 Sir Rembrandt, 8-1 One Knight, 14-1 Hand Inn Hand, 20-1 Seebald, 33-1 Upgrade, Frenchman’s Creek.
Meanwhile, Timmy Murphy showed just why he is the jockey in demand by riding a brilliant waiting race to score on Forest Chief at Leicester yesterday.
Murphy earned the plaudits from trainer Evan Williams with a heart-stopping victory in the ladbrokes.com Handicap Hurdle.
Murphy, understandably brimming with self-confidence after his super seven successes at Cheltenham’s three-day Open meeting, got Forest Chief (9-2) home by a short head from Supreme Dawn in a thrilling finish.
Settling the gelding at the rear of the field in the early stages, the jockey-of-the-moment steadily brought his mount into the race turning for home with three hurdles to jump.
Still only fifth at the second-last, Murphy made his move going to the final flight but was still only third-best as Supreme Dawn and Dollar Law battled it out.
Murphy made his challenge between the pair, but Supreme Dawn proved a tough nut to crack on the run to the line before going down by the minimum margin.
Said a delighted Williams: “He’s on fire. I booked him as soon as I heard he was available. Murphy is a very talented jockey.
“I told him to go out there and be very cool, but if you give Timmy Murphy instructions like that then you have to have nerves of steel as he puts you through the mill.”
