Mate Has Exeter Date

Best Mate is set to make his eagerly-awaited reappearance in the William Hill Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on November 1.

Trainer Henrietta Knight has picked out the extended two-mile-one-furlong contest as the perfect starting point for the triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, but he will be dropping back to a trip he has not tackled since winning the race in 2001.

Miss Knight hopes the Exeter event will prove a launch pad for a trip to Haydock where Best Mate could cross swords with this year´s Cheltenham winner Kicking King in the first running of the £150,000 Betfair Lancashire Chase on November 19.

The 10-year-old was the star of the parade at Miss Knight´s owners´ day at West Lockinge Farm and she recalled the setback which prevented the gelding from trying to extend his sequence of victories in chasing´s blue riband to four last March.

She said: 'He looks as well as ever and we are very optimistic his troubles are behind him.

'We had that one nasty incident when he broke a blood vessel on the gallops just before the Festival but on reflection I think he came back from Leopardstown a sick horse and never really picked up from that.'

Best Mate only ran twice last season, winning at Exeter before disappointing when second behind Beef Or Salmon in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown.

He has not been seen since that run in Ireland last December and Miss Knight is keen to gauge his well-being when he lines up at Exeter.

She added: 'When we go to Exeter we will have some idea where we stand. He loves the course and is a previous winner of the Haldon Gold Cup.

'It would be fascinating to think he could then go on to Haydock for the new Betfair race which is not only worth a lot of money but could also see him clash with Kicking King.'

(C) PA Sport