The youngster was pulled up that day but he had been spotted by Henrietta Knight and Terry Biddlecombe, who returned the following month to see him win in County Galway and decided they wanted him.

Owner Jim Lewis paid an undisclosed sum and Best Mate was unveiled in a bumper race at Cheltenham that November, where he made a successful debut.

He quickly scored over hurdles at Sandown but defeats followed in his next two outings, one at the Cheltenham Festival, before ending the campaign with victory at Aintree.

Knight sent him over fences in the autumn and his reputation grew rapidly with convincing wins at Exeter, Cheltenham and Sandown.

With the Festival cancelled due to the foot and mouth outbreak, Best Mate was re-routed to Aintree, where he suffered defeat by Barton back over hurdles on desperate ground.

The next season, after a first and a second, he took a step up in class against the best three-mile chasers in the King George VI Chase at Kempton.

After only finding Florida Pearl too good, he tackled an extra two and a half furlongs in the Gold Cup, where he justified expectations by powering to victory up the taxing Cheltenham hill.

The following season was geared around the Gold Cup, with wins in Huntingdon’s Peterborough Chase and the King George preceding a second triumph in jumping’s blue riband.

It was more impressive than the first as he romped home by 10 lengths to become the first horse since L’Escargot 32 years earlier to win it back-to-back.

Eight months passed before the racing public saw him again, but there was disappointment when he played second fiddle to Jair Du Cochet at Huntingdon.

The gelding bypassed the King George for the Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown, but the Irish took him to their hearts too as he returned in triumph to his native country.

Nearly three months later, Best Mate brought the house down in Gloucestershire yet again with his third, and grittiest, victory.

Harbour Pilot blocked him turning for home but he pulled out all the stops to beat Sir Rembrandt by half-a-length in a desperate finish, emulating the exploits of the legendary triple Gold Cup winner Arkle.

Once again Best Mate returned to Exeter for his seasonal bow in the winter of 2004, just getting home in a race created just for him, although he only scraped home by a short-head in what was to be his final success.

After a dismal return trip to Leopardstown where he was beaten by Beef Or Salmon, he was found to be under the weather.

All roads still led to Cheltenham but he burst a blood vessel in his final piece of work before the race and was forced to miss the race.

However, connections were still hoping for the best as he took to the track 10 months later in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter.

But the horse looked unhappy as he was scrubbed along at halfway. New jockey Paul Carberry pulled him up, but it was too late as Best Mate died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 10.