Mate still likely to go to Kempton
Henrietta Knight today reported that Best Mate was “60 per cent likely” to go for the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
But the Wantage trainer reiterated that the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero would switch to Leopardstown for the Ericsson Chase two days later if the ground at Kempton was firm.
“It all depends on this wretched weather. I think 60 per cent of me would rather go to Kempton because he’s been there before but I don’t want to go there if there’s any danger of it being on the firm side,” Miss Knight said today.
“I don’t want to jar him up. We jarred him up the year before last when he was quite stumped up. It took him about six weeks to recover from the race and I don’t want that to happen again.
“I don’t think it will be very soft at Kempton because I don’t think we are going to get that much rain.”
Best Mate finished second to Florida Pearl in the Christmas cracker two years ago but made amends last December when beating Marlborough by one and a half lengths.
He has raced just once since winning a second Gold Cup in March when beaten by Jair du Cochet on soft ground at Huntingdon last month.
“It’s difficult to know. His owner Jim Lewis and I really don’t know which race to go for at the moment because we want to do the right thing for the horse,” she went on.
“We’ve got all the options open. We’ve booked him on the ferry to Ireland which we can cancel if necessary.
“He could still end up at Kempton, I don’t know where he will go.”
Best Mate was put through his paces on the gallops of her Wantage neighbour David Gandolfo this morning.
It had been the intention to work him on Mick Channon’s gallops at West Ilsley but that plan was ditched because of frost.
“We didn’t go to Mick Channon’s in the end, we were frosted off. He worked on David Gandolfo’s gallops instead and has done a lot of work this morning,” said Miss Knight.
“He’s as well as ever. He’s being filmed by Central Television tomorrow. He’s jumping for them tomorrow with Jim Culloty on board, then he’s being filmed by another television company on Friday and then the Press boys are seeing him on Monday.
“He’s got an audience most days now. He likes being a star.”
