Best Mate's owner Jim Lewis dies aged 88

Henrietta Knight and former Cheltenham boss Edward Gillespie have paid tribute to Jim Lewis following the death of the leading owner on Sunday at the age of 88.

Lewis was best known as the owner of Best Mate, who in 2004 became the first horse since Arkle to win three Gold Cups. Edredon Bleu, winner of the 2000 Queen Mother Champion Chase and 2003 King George, also ran in the claret and blue colours of Lewis's beloved Aston Villa. His other notable horses included Nakir, Breedsbreeze and Impek, winner of several big races including the Old Roan Chase and Peterborough Chase.

Best Mate and Edredon Bleu were trained by Henrietta Knight, who saddled Lewis's first winner Pearl Prospect in 1989 and is said to have been recruited by the owner after he read an article about her in a magazine. She said: "We had some fantastic days and he had some very good horses. In my eyes, Edredon Bleu was every bit as good as Best Mate.

"Jim was very superstitious and always wore the same scarf to the races. He loved his racing and his horses and we had a lot of fun. He was a very straightforward owner to deal with and we kept in constant contact, in those days via handwritten faxes. He was a colourful person who was good for the game and a big part of the jumping scene. He had huge patience, too, and would always give horses more time."

Best Mate leads over the last en route to victory in the 2004 Gold CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Lewis's silks were based on Aston Villa's 1957 FA Cup-winning strip and he and his friends would always wear Villa scarves to the racecourse. They even had an anthem for Best Mate, who was ridden in all three Gold Cup victories by Jim Culloty, and would sing the words 'Best Mate' to the tune of Amazing Grace.

Following his death at Exeter in 2005, Best Mate's ashes were laid at the winning post at Cheltenham, where Lewis was responsible for six festival winners. Gillespie, who ran Cheltenham for 32 years until 2012, said: "He wore his heart on his sleeve . He always wore his Villa scarf and I remember he took the Gold Cup to Villa Park one year. He was one of those rare owners who took the sport beyond the sport. The media loved him and he was a brilliant ambassador.

"We had a strong relationship. He sent a wreath to put on the Best Mate statue every year until I left and one of my jobs every Gold Cup day was to place it. The Best Mate story played a massive part in the popularity of the Cheltenham Festival. Everybody was looking for the next Arkle and then Best Mate came along.

"After losing the festival to foot and mouth in 2001, Best Mate helped us to bounce back strongly. It wasn't just down to Jim but Henrietta, Terry [Biddlecombe] and Jim Culloty. It was a very rare coming together of characters around one exceptional horse and there's no doubt it elevated the attraction of the festival."

Lewis, who ran the SilentNight bed company before setting up his own furniture importing business and owned his horses with his late wife Valerie, won 11 Grade 1s. Alongside Best Mate and Edredon Bleu, his other successes were provided by Nakir, winner of the 1994 Arkle, and Tolworth Hurdle winner Breedsbreeze.

He is survived by his wife Jennifer, three children and four grandchildren.

Jim Lewis CV

Born Birmingham, June 16, 1934

Business Bed manufacturer & furniture importer

First winner Pearl Prospect (trainer Henrietta Knight) Wincanton, November 23, 1989

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate (2002, 2003, 2004)

Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Edredon Bleu (2000 - also won Championship Chase, a substitute race at Sandown 2001)

King George VI Chase winners Best Mate (2002), Edredon Bleu (2003)

Ericsson Chase winner (Leopardstown) Best Mate (2003)

Best Mate's other big-race wins 2000 Mersey Novices' Hurdle, November Novices' Chase, 2001 Scilly Isles Novices' Chase, Haldon Gold Cup, 2002 Peterborough Chase

Edredon Bleu's other big-race wins 1998 Cheltenham Grand Annual Chase, 1998 to 2001 Peterborough Chase, 2002 & 2003 Haldon Gold Cup, 2003 Desert Orchid Chase, Clonmel Oil Chase

Other Grade 1 winners Nakir (1994 Arkle Challenge Trophy), Breedsbreeze (2008 Tolworth Hurdle)

Other Grade 2 winners Nakir (1994 Maghull Novices' Chase, 1995 Game Spirit Chase), Impek (2002 Henry VIII Novices' Chase, 2005 Old Roan Chase, Peterborough Chase, 2006 Haldon Gold Cup)

Overall champion steeplechaser Best Mate 2001-02 (RPRs), 2002-03 (official & RPRs), 2003-04 (official)

Highest-rated horses (RPRs) 178 Best Mate (2003 Cheltenham Gold Cup), 172 Edredon Bleu (2002 Haldon Gold Cup & 2003 Desert Orchid Chase), 168 Impek (2006 Haldon Gold Cup)

Most prolific Pattern winners Edredon Bleu (11), Best Mate (10), Impek (4)

Most prolific Grade 1 winners Best Mate (6), Edredon Bleu (3)

Grade 1 wins 11

Cheltenham Festival wins 6

HWPA Derby Award Owner of the Year 2003

Colours Maroon and light blue stripes, light blue sleeves, hooped cap

Compiled by John Randall

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