CALLOW End's Jim Lewis has been named the National Hunt racehorse owner of the year.

The award, sponsored by Weatherby's and the Racehorse Owners Association, was presented at a lunch in London last week.

The nine year old horse Edredon Blue provided arguably the most thrilling moment of the 2000/1 jump racing season which was so troubled with abandonments due to wet weather and foot and mouth disease.

On the final day of the season Edredon Bleu and Fadalko - ridden by Champion Jockey Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh respectively - fought out a fantastic finish at Sandown Park in the replacement race for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

It came 13 months after Edredon Bleu - trained by Henrietta Knight at Wantage, Oxfordshire - had won the authentic two mile championship race at Cheltenham.

Johnny Weatherby and ROA President Sir Eric Parker presented Jim Lewis with a specially commissioned painting, by artist Martin Williams.

Mr Lewis from Callow End, was accompanied to the awards lunch at Mosimann's dining club in central London by his wife Valerie, and by the lady whose late husband found Edredon Bleu for him - Edwidge Le Metayer and her son Bertrand who travelled from Normandy. M Pierre-Charles Le Metayer, who passed away last December aged 51, also found Fadalko for owner Robert Ogden.

Mr Lewis said: " We owe everything to Edredon Bleu - he has changed our lives forever, he's so courageous and I am immensely privileged and lucky to own him. It is an additional thrill that he gives so much joy to the people who watch him. I am very happy for Edwidge to be here today, and I am only too sorry that Pierre-Charles could not be here too."

Edredon Bleu is already a duel Cheltenham Festival winner - having won the Grand Annual in 1998.

He was runner up in the Queen Mother Champion Chase a year later before triumphing 12 months later. The horse has also won the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon in the last three years.

Jim Lewis also owns Best Mate, trained by Henrietta Knight as well, which in the view of many racing pundits could win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the not too distant future.