The 15-8 on favourite made all the running to win the McCallum Corporate Consulting Peterborough Chase on Saturday.

Jockey Jim Culloty settled Best Mate in the lead from the off and he was only tested over the final two fences by the fancied Douze Douze.

But the French raider made a terrible mistake at the last to hand the race to Best Mate, who won by eight lengths.

It was the Henrietta Knight-trained horse's first run since his Gold Cup victory in March.

Superstitious Knight did not watch the race and only heard the course commentary in the closing stages.

She said: "I didn't watch any of it. I was sat in a trailer near the horse boxes.

"I'm delighted he has won.

"You know you've got a good horse but you don't know how he has come through the summer."

Jockey Culloty said the ground made racing tough.

He said: "I was never worried he would be beaten. Best Mate was enjoying it."

Best Mate will next race in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and bookmakers William Hill priced him 6-4 favourite.

The Guillaume Macaire-trained Douze Douze made a number of jumping errors but was still in the reckoning until a bad mistake at the last fence.

But the huge horse proved it will be a forced to be reckoned with in the future.

Geos ran a good race but ran out of steam to finish third.