Murphy takes Best Mate ride
Henrietta Knight and Jim Lewis have ended the speculation as to who will ride Best Mate in the William Hill Chase at Exeter on Friday.
Timmy Murphy and Tony McCoy were both in the frame but the former, who was in terrific form at Cheltenham at the weekend, has got the nod.
“Timmy Murphy will ride him,” said Miss Knight today. “We weighted 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.”
Connections of the triple Gold Cup winner had been searching for a pilot since regular rider Jim Culloty became unavailable because of a broken thumb.
He will face a maximum of six rivals in the contest.
The race had been reopened until 9.15am this morning after attracting fewer than eight entries on Saturday, but no further additions were made to the field.
The chief threat to Miss Knight’s star looks to be the Robert Alner-trained Sir Rembrandt, who has half a length to find from the blue riband in March, with the benefit of 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.
The Wantage trainer has been pleased with the nine-year-old’s progress, but warned the near-three mile contest in Devon would not be a stroll in the park.
Best Mate 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."
Hughie Morrison is happy with Frenchman’s Creek, who has been given plenty of time to recover from a tendon injury sustained in April 2002 after he finished third in what was then known as the Attheraces Gold Cup.
Part of a small but select string of jumpers at the East Ilsley yard, the 10-year-old had earlier enjoyed success in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and has rarely been out of the first three in 17 starts to date.
Frenchman’s Creek benefited from a ride of supreme confidence by Paul Carberry when winning at Cheltenham, and the Irishman has ridden him on two other occasions.
But Morrison revealed that jockey bookings for Friday are up in the air.
He said: “We are in the throes of looking for a jockey, but I think that we will sit down tomorrow evening and discuss it with everyone from the owners to the cook, and have a vote!”
