Cheltenham Gold Cup
A mellow place to purchase Cheltenham Gold Cup Tickets is this site.Cheltenham_Gold_Cup
Monksgrange was the childhood home of Charmian Hill, well known as owner of the great Dawn Run (by Deep Run out of Twilight Slave) who is the only horse to have won The Cheltenham Champion Hurdle and The Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeplechase. Mrs Hill learned her horsemanship while growing up with the farm horses that worked the land before the days of the tractor.
Her keen interest in thoroughbred breeding and racing were passed on to her son and grandson who now run the farm as a breeding operation for their own horses and for those owned by overseas clients. These clients include the Oaks Stud (New Zealand) Ra Ora Stud (New Zealand) and Bloodstock Breeding PTY, (Australia). Monksgrange has been in the family for 9 generations, and it enjoys a unique ambience through its heritage and tree studded landscape setting.
Sadly, as you may have heard in the press already BEST MATE™ is no longer a starter for Thursday's Cheltenham Gold Cup. We have had to pull him out as he broke a blood vessel whilst working on the gallops. It is a huge blow for all of us, but he is perfectly well in himself. We can but hope that a good rest over the summer and sun on his back will restore him to his former health. We believe that the haemorrhage was the result of the virus that he contracted at the end of December. We have been inundated with e mails, faxes, letters, cards and telephone calls. The country's reaction has been huge and we have been touched by all the comforting messages. It is obvious that Matey has a massive following. However, we still do have runners at the Festival! (Henrietta Knight 11/03/05)
Now Cheltenham is over once more until March 2006. We have a new Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in KICKING KING. He was a worthy and impressive winner. Kicking King is only a youngster, and he has proved he stays. As the owner of BEST MATE™, it was an odd experience for me, greeting the new winner into the paddock. At an appropriate moment I shook hands with the owner Mr. Conor Clarkson and congratulated him on his fine victory and remarked that I was looking forward to next year when we might possibly witness a history making DEAD HEAT in a Gold Cup!! - Well something I think about eh?
Matey will now take the summer off, and come back fresh next season, which is only, for him anyway, months away. As he grazes in the green paddocks, with his best mate EDREDON BLEU, he can reflect that he is STILL the Triple Gold Cup winner, today, tomorrow, and for all time, and would, should rejoice in the knowledge, and look forward - and DREAM!
Remember the BEST MATE CHARITIES APPEAL GOES ON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!
The merchandise can be worn with pride, the mementoes, and brollies, scarves and ties are always available, all profits go to the Charities, and please DON’T FORGET the magnificent portrait of Best Mate painted by the very talented PHILLIPA PORLEY BA (Hons). See profile page herein.
Framed prints (£150 + £4 p&p) and unframed (£65 + £4 p&p) can be ordered from this website, and Phillipa’s website Original Racing Art @ www.racing-art.net (please go to Links Page to find out more)
Phillipa has generously given HALF of the profits of her work to the Best Mates Charities. This is a most generous, caring gesture, and we are deeply grateful for her tribute to the Triple Champion, and his fundraising work. Lets see plenty of Best Mate polo shirts, walking around next summer