Maybe it was fate, but all that glitters is no longer gold at next week's Cheltenham Festival. Best Mate's shock withdrawal just eight days before he was due to bid for a fourth successive Gold Cup is a major blow for racing, and the event as a whole.
The triple winner was looking to pass the mark set by the legendary Arkle in the 1960s.
Arkle beat the likes of Red Rum and Desert Orchid to be named the favourite racehorse of all-time in a Racing Post poll.
And as "Matey" sadly burst a blood vessel on the gallops, it was almost as if that great horse of yesteryear was looking down from his stable in equine heaven.
For the destiny of this year's trophy may yet lie with Tom Taaffe, trainer of Kicking King, and son of Arkle's late jockey Pat Taaffe.
Remarkably, Kicking King was only confirmed a runner in the Gold Cup one hour after the reigning champion was ruled out.
Trainer Taaffe had announced his impressive King George VI Chase winner a non-starter just nine days ago because of illness, but in something approaching a racing miracle, the horse has mounted a recovery to put him back in the Cheltenham picture.
Arkle was stopped from bidding for a fourth Gold Cup by injury.
Four years ago, another Irish racing star Istabraq was prevented from a fourth Champion Hurdle attempt when foot-and-mouth disease caused the Festival to be abandoned.
 | BEST MATE PROFILE Age: 10 Runs: 21 Wins: 14 Second: 7 Big-race wins:
Gold Cup 2002, 2003, 2004
King George 2002
Ericsson Chase 2003 |
Of course, this year is the first time the showpiece jump racing fixture has been extended to four days.
No wonder Best Mate's super-superstitious owner Jim Lewis had a small sense of foreboding, or should that be four-boding, earlier this week.
He told BBC Sport how he planned to wear the same black cashmere coat, light blue shirt and claret and blue Aston Villa tie he had for all of Best Mate's three previous Gold Cup wins.
Lewis had just been to the hairdressers, as per the usual schedule. He had booked the same chauffeur to take him to the races, and planned his traditional pint of stout in the Guinness Village a couple of hours before the race.
And then he would be interviewed by BBC Five Live's Cheltenham anchorman John Inverdale, whether he liked it or not, before taking his place on the same patch of Gloucestershire lawn where he always watches the big race.
But there was a feeling Lewis, whose nickname Lucky Jim has a hollow ring on a heartbreaking day for the Best Mate team, knew the good times could only roll for so long.
 Can Kicking King ascend to Best Mate's throne? |
Unusually, and despite being bullish about his prospects, Lewis had not bet a single penny on his horse this time round. "We've been very fortunate. To get any horse to the Cheltenham Festival three years running is a feat in itself, to win three Gold Cups is something else. Best Mate owes us nothing," he told BBC Sport.
Broadcaster Inverdale, who bunked off school as a lad to make the Festival jamboree, has only missed one meeting in the last 30 years.
And speaking before Best Mate's withdrawal, he summed up what a fourth Gold Cup win would have meant for a sport wallowing in unconnected headlines surrounding a massive ongoing City of London Police investigation into allegations of race-fixing.
"It's an amazing achievement to get a horse to Cheltenham four years in a row as a serious contender," said Inverdale.
"If Best Mate was to win for a fourth time, it would be a phenomenal achievement for everyone involved.
"It would catapult the sport into the news bulletins for all the right reasons. Imagine a tight finish up the hill, and Best Mate wins by a short head - if you were marketing National Hunt racing, that is what you would pray for."
| HAPPY ENDINGS Best Mate is out - but there could still be a story to celebrate
Kicking King - Trained by Tom Taaffe, the son of Arkle's jockey Pat Kingscliff/Strong Flow - Both horses have endured injuries that kept them out of racing for more than a year Celestial Gold - Record-breaking champion trainer Martin Pipe has yet to win a Gold Cup
Beef or Salmon - Could the Irish challenger named after the menu at a local hotel finally taste success? |
The prayers have not been answered, and now it is left to the likes of Taaffe and others with contenders such as Kingscliff, Strong Flow and Celestial Gold to hope all stay sound for the big day. Meanwhile, even the bookmakers could find time to spare a thought for the unfortunate Best Mate.
Ladbrokes spokesman Balthazar Fabricius said: "We estimate that across the industry Best Mate's enforced absence has cost punters �500,000.
"It's a savage blow for connections, racing fans, punters and bookmakers alike."
Luckily, Best Mate may yet prove to be the ultimate champion - the Muhammad Ali of racing - bouncing back from the canvas to regain his title in 2006.
The king is not dead yet. But who knows? There could be a new, possibly temporary, king in town come next Friday: Kicking King.
MMIX
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