Henrietta Knight reassured Best Mate's fans that the nine-year-old is still on course for a fourth successive Cheltenham Gold Cup despite his reversal at Leopardstown yesterday.
Although the gelding sported stitches to a long cut under his left eye, Miss Knight believes that the main reason for his seven-length defeat to Beef Or Salmon in the Lexus Chase was the going, officially described as "soft to heavy".
"Provided that we do not get the ground at Cheltenham that we had yesterday he will run very well," she told Sky Sports News. "We have a nice long time to prepare him, to raise his spirits and to mend him for the big day. People should not lose heart - he is still a very good horse."
Best Mate suffered his cut when banging his head on the ferry over from England, and although his trainer felt it could have had some sort of effect to his performance, she felt that he was able to start, and the ground was the deciding factor.
"It went through my mind not to run him, but when you have travelled to Ireland, and all the public have turned out to see him, you have got to be sportsman-like and it was not going to hurt him to run," she continued.
"It could well have given him quite a headache - the cut in itself was not bad but it is not the sort of thing you would want if you were about to take part in a championship race."
"He's very, very tired today after his journey but he is as sound as a pound and he will soon recover," owner Jim Lewis added. "He had a nasty gash on his face which obviously didn't help yesterday but he's in good health this morning."
Best Mate had beaten Beef Or Salmon in each of their three previous meetings but his younger rival stole the march on him yesterday, although Lewis was not too disheartened by the defeat.
"You have to be prepared to lose as well as win in this game and I'm not the slightest bit disappointed with his run," he said.
"We knew the ground was bottomless but we made the decision that we were in reland and that he would run - I think the Irish people have appreciated that."