RACING Exeter report: Best Mate's travelling army of supporters were left gasping as he snatched a dramatic victory on his return to the fray at Exeter yesterday.

The triple Gold Cup hero started his campaign for a fourth Cheltenham victory in the William Hill Chase, a race specially framed to attract the popular champion.

Both the sponsors and the track had their wishes granted as a record crowd packed into the rural track to see Best Mate scrape home by a short head from Seebald in a photo-finish.

With regular rider Jim Culloty on the sidelines through injury, it was left to substitute Timmy Murphy to do the steering.

And Murphy did all that was required as he gave Best Mate a ride that his trainer Henrietta Knight described as "a typical Timmy Murphy".

Sir Rembrandt, runner-up in last season's Gold Cup, set the early pace as Best Mate settled quickly into his rhythm in second place, with Seebald third and Frenchman's Creek held up last of the four runners.

The order remained unchanged until after the ninth fence, an open ditch, at which Sir Rembrandt, who had never before run at a right-handed track, made a blunder from which he never seemed able to recover.

He jumped out to his left at every fence for the remainder of the race.

Murphy took the error as a signal to send Best Mate into the lead, but Tom Scudamore on Seebald followed closely behind.

Quickening the pace aboard the 4 to 7 favourite, Murphy tried to shake off his challenger from the front but a messy jump at the second-last fence allowed Seebald to get closer.

Now at full stretch, the pair jumped the final fence in unison and Best Mate was clearly if narrowly headed 100 yards from the finish.

But rallying bravely in the very last strides, Best Mate got back up to give the crowd the victory they desperately wanted by the narrowest margin.

Frenchman's Creek, having his first start since April 2002, was 16 lengths away in third.

With this victory, Best Mate took his career statistics to 14 victories and six second places in his 20 starts and his total prize money earnings over the £1 million mark.

"I watched the race from some bushes, so I can't really tell you how I felt the race went. I saw their backsides going past and that was about it," said Best Mate's trainer Henrietta Knight as she returned to the winner's enclosure from her hiding point.

"But we didn't want to do too much on his first run of the season and it sounds like it was a typical Timmy Murphy ride."

Knight also confirmed that the next engagement for Best Mate will probably be in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28th, the race he won last year, rather than in Kempton's Stan James King George VI Chase.