Henrietta Knight hopes Best Mate can star again at next year's Cheltenham Festival after seeing her dreams of a fourth successive totesport Gold Cup victory for her champion shattered.

The ten-year-old has reigned as the king of the Cotswolds for Knight's West Lockinge stables, near Wantage, for the last three years.

And with his legions of supporters due to be among a sell-out 60,000 crowd and millions of pounds riding on the race, the eyes of a nation were set to be trained on Matey's bid to make it four in a row next Friday.

But yesterday Knight ruled her superstar out of chasing's blue riband after he broke a blood vessel deep in a lung while being exercised by stable groom Jackie Jenner on West Ilsley trainer Mick Channon's gallops.

Knight said: "It is very sad and terrible for the public, punters, fans and the yard and Jim (Lewis - owner) and Jim (Culloty - jockey).

"There is no reason why he cannot be 100 per cent for next season.

"Let's hope he can star in 2006 - it's not exactly that he's over raced."

Knight added: "If it had happened in a race he might have staggered and fallen at a fence and that would have been disastrous, so it is a big relief that we have found out in time. I think he stopped quick enough to stop any long-term damage.

"Obviously he had still got a bit of virus on him, it is usually that which causes it."