I was at Cheltenham for Best Mate’s three Gold Cup wins.
I knew it was significant. The first since Arkle, we were taking in rarefied air.
But on reflection I definitely underplayed it at the time. He was dominating a shallow division and the third win, a hard-fought and rapidly diminishing half-length verdict over a dour stayer in Sir Rembrandt, wasn’t a performance that went down in the pantheon of great Gold Cups.
Yet it was gained on deep ground, which didn’t play to Best Mate’s strengths, and after he was denied a clear run as they rounded the final turn.
He found a way to win ugly when it mattered most.
I’ve been thinking about my reaction to that moment for a while now, ever since Willie Mullins made it clear standing outside Galopin Des Champs’ box in Closutton at the start of February that if his runner can repeat the feat next week, it will be – by some distance – the pinnacle of his era-defining and record-shattering training career.
There’s an argument that the history seeker isn’t even the star turn next week. Plenty of people seem to think Constitution Hill’s bid to regain his Unibet Champion Hurdle crown on day one deserves that honour.
Not for me.
