Henrietta Knight has paid tribute to Jim Lewis, owner of three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate, following his death at the age of 88.
Lewis’ claret and blue colors based on his beloved Aston Villa were synonymous with Prestbury Park’s success in the early 2000s, as both Best Mate – who became the first horse since Arkle to complete a hat-trick of Gold Cups when successful in 2004 – and Champion Chase hero Edredon Bleu became household names and regulars in the season’s biggest contests.
His first Festival winner was Nakir who picked up the 1994 Arkle, but it was not until he joined forces with Henrietta Knight and her partner Terry Biddlecombe that big-race victories became a regularity.
Edredon Bleu would go on to add a King George VI Chase in 2003 to his previous Champion Chase success, while Best Mate also won Kempton’s Christmas feature a year earlier in 2002. Knight highlighted Lewis’ love of racing and the unwavering support of her former owner.